Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

An issue with a heating and cooling unit at Northern Shores Elementary School Friday morning resulted in evacuation of the building as Suffolk Fire and Rescue worked to determine what was causing the smell of smoke there.

Suffolk Emergency Communications dispatched the incident at 8:45 a.m. with the first units arriving at 8:53 a.m., Friday, April 7. The school is located in the 6700 Block of Respass Beach Road. 

Fire and Rescue officials said in a news release that Battalion 2 advised that upon their arrival on scene, fire crews found an odor of smoke in the school. The building was evacuated prior to the arrival of emergency units.  

Due to the time of the call, many students were still on buses and had not entered the school building yet, according to the release.

A thorough search of the building was performed and no fire was found. 

A faulty HVAC unit was determined to be the source of the smoke, and the unit was placed out of service.  

There were no injuries and the building was reopened to students and staff at 9:40 a.m. 

Eleven units from Suffolk Fire and Rescue responded, along with Fire Marshal 6 and Suffolk Police units.