An electric transformer exploded, causing a fire in the building that houses Orangeburg Christian Academy shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The building was evacuated and no one was injured, school Principal Cynthia Poor said.

The school occupies the front portion of the former Utica Tool plant on Cameron Road near Interstate 26, about five miles northeast of Orangeburg.

The transformer was at the rear of the property.

“We heard the explosion,” Poor said. “All the electricity went out, so we needed to get out immediately.”

Students and staff knew exactly what to do.

“The kids fell right into order. We have fire drills every month. We had one Monday,” Poor said.

Firefighters and equipment from the Jamison, Four Holes and West Middle fire departments raced to the scene.

“The first units on the scene found an electrical fire where the main power comes into the building,” said Teddy Wolfe, operations officer for the Orangeburg County Fire District. “The fire looked to be contained right there.”

Firefighters kept the fire from spreading while employees of the Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities were summoned, Wolfe said.

“There was no smoke or fire on the inside at all,” Poor said. With the firefighters’ permission, students and staff members re-entered the building and gathered their belongings, then left for home.

It’s not certain when they will return. “We may be without lights for a day or two,” Poor said as she awaited word from DPU.

OCA and its 20 staff members serve approximately 130 students in five-year-old kindergarten through grade 12, Poor said.

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