Forty-six children between the ages of 1 and 5 along with the faculty and staff at Laurel County Child Development on Ky. 1223 were forced to evacuate the building Thursday when a washing machine caught fire.
"I heard a noise in the laundry room," said Jennifer Jones, the lead teacher. "When I opened the door, smoke poured out from the washer."
Jones said the students, faculty and staff evacuated the building, crossing the street and waiting in the parking lot of Trinity Baptist Church.
West Knox Firefighters responded to the scene, pulling the washer out into the parking lot, using heat detectors to scan for any fire and fans to clear the smoke from the building.
"Man, it smells bad," said Jennifer Yates, a teacher’s aide.
Jones said it appears a belt on the washing machine started the fire. There is no damage to the building and classes were able to resume.
The faculty kept the students calm with a variety of songs and games and then handed out popsicles.
Jones said the school holds fire drills once a month.
"I’m very proud of them," Jones said of the faculty, staff and students. "Everybody got out very quickly and were calm throughout the whole ordeal."
