Mesquite ISD middle school closed again Thursday as crews work to restore power

A Mesquite ISD middle school is scheduled to be closed for a second day after a transformer near the building caught on fire and shut off power.

Vanston Middle School will be closed Thursday, the school said in a Wednesday night Facebook post. According to the school, its facilities personnel worked through the day and evening to replace wiring and restore “proper connections to all electrical systems.”

But officials said they have not yet completed the extensive testing that must happen before students and staff can return back to the school. Thursday marks the second day the school has said it will be closed after a transformer near the building caught on fire Tuesday afternoon.

According to the school, Mesquite Fire Department responded and cleared the area with no damage to the campus.

Because of the fire, the campus lost power and phone lines were down. Students and staff returned inside the building after briefly being evacuated, and the school day on Tuesday ended as normal, officials said in a post.

However, due to electrical damage from the transformer fire, the school made the decision to close on Wednesday.

“Significant rewiring must be completed to ensure we can safely reoccupy the campus,” the school said. “At this time, the campus does not have power.”

Officials have not said what caused the transformer to catch fire.

The school said Wednesday night that while the final steps in the repair process are completed, Mesquite ISD will provide additional updates Thursday of its progress.