A Westport school being used as a polling location was evacuated Tuesday morning when a fire started outside.
Officials from the Westport Fire Department said improperly discarded smoking material started the fire outside the Greens Farms School.
Firefighters responded to the school at 17 Morningside Drive South at 9:17 a.m. and they found fire near the natural gas service, so they called in more crews.
The school was closed for Election Day, but polls were open and firefighters, as well as police, evacuated the building.
The fire was contained to a plastic fence and landscaping nearby and crews allowed people back into the polling location quickly so voting could continue, according to the fire department.
The Westport Fire Department warns that the ongoing drought has dried out the ground enough that brush and forest fires have become a concern. They are also reminding residents to completely extinguish any discarded smoking material, carefully dispose of any hot charcoal only in a metal can with a tight cover and obey the local ordinance with regards to open burning.
