Elementary Ten-year-old Kaewai Elementary School student Shane Mageo was in the middle of a water balloon fight with a friend yesterday afternoon when he heard an explosion in a nearby building on campus.
school’s utility
room explodes
The blast at Kaewai was after
4 p.m., but students were present
By Rod Antone
Star-Bulletin"When I was about to blast (throw) the balloon, (the explosion) came out the door like this, 'Whoom!'" Mageo said. "The thing blasted out the door."
Mageo was one of about 32 children still on the property at Kaewai Elementary when a custodial room caught fire shortly after 4 p.m.
Inside the room after firefighters put out the blaze was a smoking pottery kiln, which school staff said was in working condition.
"Whether the kiln was in use I do not know," said Fire Capt. Richard Soo. "The only thing we do know is that they are calling this a custodian utilities room."
The fire and smoke caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, Soo said.
There were no injuries.
YMCA group leader Kilohana Moa said she and other leaders were watching two groups of children at the time.
One group of 18 students was playing out in the field, and another 14 students were in the hallway outside the cafeteria, standing less than 100 feet away from the explosion.
"All we saw was a little bit of smoke, and all of a sudden this huge boom, and then it kind of flared out across the hall," said Moa. "It was pretty big."
Soo said firefighters brought the fire under control in 10 minutes.
Fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.