After being evacuated this morning from the building due to smoke from a microwave fire in the teacher’s lounge, students at Prairie Elementary School, 2102 E. Washington St. in Urbana, resumed a normal school day.

There were no injuries, said Mark Schultz, spokesperson for Urbana School District 116.

“All students returned to class and the school returned to a normal day,” said Schultz.

Schultz said the school followed standard evacuation procedures: teachers evacuated students and did a headcount; staff then did a sweep of the building to make sure no one was left behind.

Urbana Fire Department firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 9:47 a.m., said Tony Foster, Urbana Fire Department division chief. By the time they arrived, all students were accounted for and the team was directed to the teacher’s lounge.

“There were no flames – just an electric fire,” Foster said.

It took 30 minutes to evacuate the smoke, he said.

“Having accountability for that many students was really important,” said Foster.

Foster said that the fire department and the school regularly practice and drill together.

“The students really didn’t know whether this was a drill or not but they knew what to do,” said Foster. “This is very important in any fire, not just one in school.”