DaytonDailyNews.com

WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County — There were no reported injuries stemming from a massive smoky two-alarm fire Monday night, Sept. 8, at Spring Valley Academy, 1375 E. Spring Valley Pike.

The school's maintenance director apparently discovered the fire in an electrical room of the school just after 7 p.m.

Firefighters were dispatched to the address about 7:11 p.m. on a report of a fire with children possibly trapped.

A search of the building by firefighters helped them confirm that everyone inside the building is believed to have escaped, said Rich Palmer, public information officer, Washington Twp. Fire Department.

Firefighters believe the origin point was a utility room centrally located in the building, Palmer said, but hot spots throughout the structure were keeping fire investigators from entering the building to pinpoint the possible cause and origination point.

Principal Jeff Bovee said he understood that at least three students and some staff members were in the building at play practice but escaped without injury.

Those people were in addition to the maintenance director, who said he was driven by thick black smoke when he tried to fight the fire using a fire extinguisher.

Massive amounts of black smoke could be seen coming from the kindergarten through 12th-grade school that enrolls 293 students. It is affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The school is expected to be closed "multiple days," Bovee said.

There is no immediate estimate of the damage caused by the fire, smoke and water used to douse the flames.

There also is no word as to what might have caused the fire.

Fire crews from Bellbrook, Sugarcreek Twp., and Miami Twp. were dispatched to assist Washington Twp.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.