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Fire gives school kids one day off Little damage done, but toxic fumes linger A small fire over the weekend caused practically no damage, but cost Orchard Hill Elementary School one day of class. Lingering fumes from the fire prompted Phoenix-Talent school officials to cancel class. The day off gave clean-up crews more time to shampoo the stench from carpets and air out the building. Principal Bob Reese and Superintendent Dave Willard said they didn't want to take the chance of having students and staff sickened by the odor. Reese said he was particularly concerned for students with asthma and allergies. The cause of the problem was a burning plastic trash can. On Saturday, volunteers at the school were refinishing picnic tables. They put soiled rags in the trash can and set the plastic can inside the building. Sometime later, the rags ignited. Reese said that when he stopped by Orchard Hill Sunday morning, the building was filled with fumes and the can had melted. Nothing but the can was damaged, and the fire had burned itself out. By Monday, Willard said, the air still smelled bad. "It's amazing how much smoke and fumes something like that can give off," Willard said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA