PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — River Ridge High School and Middle School canceled classes Wednesday due to excessive smoke from a controlled burn in Starkey Park near the New Port Richey school.
According to Pasco County school officials, it was determined it was not safe to host classes on campus due to smoke in classrooms.
School officials advised students and parents that all campus activities and students should remain home Wednesday. When the first school staff members arrived a little before 6 a.m., they immediately noticed the smoke.
"Our plant manager at River Ridge High School arrived around 5:45 and saw there was a dense smoke around the campus, but also, that smoke had gotten into the classrooms," said Pasco County Schools spokesperson Toni Zetzsche.
Officials said students who were picked up by bus transportation were returned to their bus stop.
Student Ashton Adams was expecting a short school week thanks to a planned day off on Friday, but when his mom woke him up and told him about the smoke, it took him a second to realize what was happening.
"She was saying that there is a controlled wildfire, and that smoke got into the school, into the classrooms," Adams said. "She said no school, so turned my alarm off, went to the bathroom, went right back to bed."
The Southwest Florida Water Management District said they had a controlled burn at Starkey Wilderness Preserve Tuesday to prevent future wildfires. The burn was close to the school. They said it took longer than expected because of a large number of dead trees from a 2017 wildfire and hurricane debris leading to lingering smoke.
Adams lives close to the school, and by the time he went outside later that morning, he says there wasn't much to see.
"I didn't see anything, no, but if I tried hard, I guess you could say you could smell a little smoke, but barely," he said.
With little to no lingering smoke around the school by the afternoon, the school district is confident that students will return to class Thursday.
