Fire at OMTC leads to canceled classes

Early in the morning on Thursday, March 19, a fire broke out on the second floor of the Ozark Mountain Technical Center (OMTC).
The first call for service came into the Wright County 911 Center from Linda Page, who was arriving on site at OMTC to turn off drinking fountains due to the boil advisory issued by the City of Mountain Grove the previous evening.
“We were pulling up to the school and I said to my grandson, ‘Wow, that’s some interesting fog’, and he said ‘that’s not fog grandma! That’s smoke!’ and we called it in to 911, and Denver (Mitchell),” Operations Director for Mountain Grove R-III School District.
First responders were on scene quickly, with Mountain Grove Police Corporal Kyle Carpenter arriving approximately two minutes after 911 received the originating report.
“I initially saw the reporting party pointing at flames and smoke coming from the top of the building. It was heavily smoldering and there was smoke. I notified dispatch and shortly after fire began coming out of the windows. The flame was contained to only three windows, but smoke came from all sides of the building,” MGPD Corporal Carpenter reported.
Mountain Grove Fire Department had 13 personnel on scene with Cabool, Norwood and Houston called in on mutual aid. Houston was released en route, Cabool was released after arriving on scene and Norwood did not respond. Fire crews worked for a little under an hour to extinguish the flames as they fought to limit the damage. According to sources inside the fire department, the fire allegedly originated in a janitorial closet and spread to a neighboring classroom. Fire damage was reported to be limited to those two areas, but smoke and water damage was extensive.
During the incident, Wright County Sheriff Chief Deputy Kristi Akers conducted a traffic stop after a driver allegedly ran over a fire hose, causing damage to the hose.
“During the process of the investigation, inconsistencies in identification led to further investigation, and it was found that the female driver was in the country illegally,” said Wright County Sheriff BJ Adler, 
“She was placed on an immigration hold and transferred to the regional detention facility in Greene County by sheriff’s deputies. One male juvenile was in the vehicle with the subject and was released on his own recognizance.” Classes were canceled on Thursday and Friday for the district.