Burned butter in culinary class triggers fire alarm at Merced High School

A Merced High student burned a pan of butter in a culinary class Tuesday morning, triggering the fire alarm and response from Merced Fire Department while the campus was temporarily evacuated.

First reports were made at 10:13 a.m. in a kitchen in the 300 wing of the school, 205 W. Olive Ave. About 35 students were in the class at the time.

The incident didn’t cause any flames, just a lot of smoke, said John Olson, chief business officer for Merced Union High School District. The teacher attempted to extinguish the smoke by putting the lid on the pan.

Students returned to class about 15 minutes later.

Fire crews checked the roof for damage, and the kitchen had minor damage. The school likely only will have to replace a hood over the stove.

Olson said no one was injured.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Burned butter in culinary class triggers fire alarm at Merced High School."