Fire forces evacuation of Southern Illinois school

McCLURE, Ill. -- About 80 students at Shawnee Elementary School South in McClure were rushed outside after a fire began in a trash can in the building Tuesday morning. Shawnee School District superintendent Shelly Clover-Hill said smoke was reported in the building and school staff worked quickly to clear the building because there had been a gas leak in the school over the weekend. Clover-Hill said the incident was unrelated to the leak and that the circumstances surrounding how the fire began are under investigation. She would not comment further on the cause of the fire and said the district was dealing with the incident as policy dictates. No injuries were reported. Crews from the McClure and East Cape Girardeau fire departments responded to the call, which was placed around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Students were transported to Shawnee Elementary School North and completed the remainder of the school day. Clover-Hill said the fire caused no damage and classes will resume at Shawnee South Elementary today.

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40842 State Highway 3, McClure, IL

3365 State Highway 3, Wolf Lake, IL