SOUTH OGDEN — A fire Monday at South Ogden Junior High resulted in damage to a boys bathroom, caused mostly by a sprinkler system, and the decision to release students early from school.

“It’s suspected that a student or students intentionally set fire to the towel dispenser,” reads a South Ogden Fire Department press release. Fire department and Weber School District officials are trying to identify the culprit or culprits, who could face criminal charges and school disciplinary action.

The damage was largely limited to the bathroom, according to South Ogden Fire Chief Cameron West, though some water from the sprinkler system seeped into an adjacent hallway.

On their arrival, firefighters found a hand towel dispenser on fire, which was controlled by the sprinklers and the efforts of responding firefighters. The call came at 11:13 a.m. and the school was evacuated, with students subsequently released for the day.

Officials aren’t sure what’s behind the fire. Weber School District spokesman Lane Findlay said officials considered the possibility it resulted from some sort of social media challenge geared to students. “We’ve wondered about that. I’m not aware there’s anything like that going on,” he said.

He said he understands that classes will resume as normal on Tuesday at the school.

Weber High School sustained damage last July, mostly from water emitted by the facility’s sprinkler system, after a fire that started due to a chemical reaction caused by rags in a trash can that had chemical residue on them.

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