CHARLESTON - Charleston school officials expect the high school will be up and running as normal on Monday morning after a fire Thursday night closed Charleston High School on Friday.

Missing ceiling tiles in a hallway and a lingering odor of smoke were the biggest signs of the fire as workers started cleanup efforts at 7 a.m. Friday. Work was scheduled through the weekend.

"Our goal is to be up and running by Monday morning," Superintendent Jim Littleford said. "Business as usual is our plan."

Littleford said he plans to make a final decision on Sunday.

Charleston Fire Chief Kris Phipps said a small appliance was the likely the cause of the fire that gutted the storage room of a concession stand on the school's south side near Baker Gym and Swickard Auditorium.

Phipps said the appliance was apparently left too close to paper products. Appliances that were removed are being tested to determine if they were faulty or if one was perhaps left on by accident. The school's electrical system wasn't at fault, and there's no indication that the fire was set intentionally.

Classes were called off at all Charleston schools Friday so custodial crews from every school could help with the work.

Firefighters were called to the school shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday and remained at the scene until about midnight, Phipps said. He credited fire crews and school district personnel for controlling the fire and the situation quickly and handling it properly.

Principal Diane Hutchins said she was pleased that students, workers and parents at the school at the time "did exactly what they were asked to do." Students and parents evacuated as instructed, and school personnel followed procedure and helped with smoke removal after the fire was contained, she said.

A cheerleading clinic was taking place at CHS at the time of the fire, Hutchins said, and there were other small groups of students meeting as well, so there were probably about 125 people in the school at the time.

The fire was contained to the storage room, and the damage estimate to the room and its contents comes to about $25,000, Littleford said.

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