Akron’s Ellet High School reopened on Wednesday after being closed for two days following a weekend fire.

Work crews constructed containment walls on Tuesday morning around the area damaged by fire.

District spokesman Mark Williamson said that the temporary walls would allow cleanup and repair work to continue.

Williamson said in an email, “We can accomplish two things at once this way and not have to rush the cleanup repair or keep students out for an extended time,” .

School officials made the decision on Tuesday afternoon to reopen the school to students.

The fire damaged the southeast portion of the school where the construction program is housed.

Cleanup crews spent hours at the school on Monday, clearing standing water and a smoke odor that permeated much of the building on Woolf Avenue.

Akron firefighters responded to a fire alarm in the building about 11 PM on Saturday. They found light smoke filling the hallways, located the fire and extinguished it within an hour.

The fire is thought to have started in the construction program’s building maintenance office. The program is part of the district’s Career Technical Education curriculum.

By Prakriti Neogi