Fire in a locker led to the evacuation of a Northwest Peoria school on Monday afternoon.
Peoria firefighters were called to Mark Bills School, 6001 N. Frostwood Parkway, about 1:50 p.m. Monday.
Fire in a second-floor locker was quickly knocked down, first by school staff using a fire extinguisher and then by firefighters, Peoria Fire Department Division Chief Gary Van Voorhis said.
About 250 students and school staff escaped safely from the District 150 school, Van Voorhis said.
The fire was confined to the one second-floor locker, but nearby lockers also were damaged by the extinguisher and water. The second floor sustained some smoke damage, but firefighters were ventilating it with fans.
The fire took place near the time school was dismissed for the day, and classes were expected to continue uninterrupted on Tuesday, Van Voorhis said.
Students with lockers on the second floor were not allowed back to their lockers to retrieve their coats on Monday, Van Voorhis said.
The cause of the fire was being investigated.
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