DUKE CENTER — An art teacher suffered a hand injury after a small electrical fire Thursday afternoon at the Otto-Eldred High School.

Around 12:20 p.m., the unidentified educator plugged in a small kiln in the high school art room when the equipment sparked and a flame ignited, Otto-Eldred School District Superintendent Matthew Splain told The Era.

“A nearby teacher was first to respond to the art room. No students were in the room at the time,” he said.

Teachers made quick work of extinguishing the flame, he said. Meanwhile, the building was quickly evacuated.

“By the time the Otto Fire Department arrived, the scene had settled (within about 10 minutes).  OFD verified there was no further issue,” Splain said.

Students returned to class, transitioning as normal by 1 p.m., he said.

Splain said the fire is being attributed to a failed plug to the small kiln, and the damage was contained to some black charring above the outlet. The room will need to be cleaned after extinguisher use, he said.

Students and staff members responded well to the incident, Spain said.

“There is always something to improve upon when a situation like this occurs,” he said. “We have made some useful observations that will assist us in improving our crisis response plan and crisis training.”

A School Reach notification was sent to inform the parents and community about the situation in addition to a Facebook post, he said.