Faulty wiring blamed for fire in Healdsburg high school gym roof

HEALDSBURG, Calif. -- Faulty electrical wiring in an exterior light caused a small fire in the roof of a gymnasium at Healdsburg High School early Tuesday morning, Healdsburg Fire Chief Steven Adams said.

A smoke detector inside the Smith Robinson Gym triggered an alarm that alerted the fire department around 3 a.m., Adams said.

The fire burned a 20-by-25-foot area in one corner of the roof. Firefighters put salvage covering on the gym floor and the blaze was extinguished within 30 minutes, Adams said.

A second alarm was called because of the size of the gym and as a precaution, he said.

School principal Chris Vanden Heuvel said there was some water damage to the gym floor and a volleyball game scheduled for tonight has been relocated to the gym at a junior high school a few blocks away. The Smith Robinson Gym and locker rooms closed after the fire.

There also is a smaller gym on the high school campus at 1024 Prince Ave. where gym classes are held, Vanden Heuvel said.