BATON ROUGE - A fire sparked by a transformer at a middle school Monday cut classes short and will keep the campus closed through Tuesday. 

The East Baton Rouge school system said the fire started around 9 a.m. at Westdale Middle after a transformer blew on the school's campus. Sparks caused a fire to erupt inside a self-contained energy closet in the school's gym.

The fire caused a power outage which prompted an early dismissal. The school will stay closed Tuesday as Entergy works to restore power.

Read the full statement below.

At approximately 9:00 AM Monday, September 20, 2021, a transformer on Westdale Middle School's campus blew. As a result of this incident, errant sparks caused a small fire in a self-contained energy closet in the school's gym. Students and staff followed safety protocols and the Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to the incident immediately to contain the situation. As a result of the blown transformer, Westdale Middle remains without power. Parents were notified that students would be dismissed early. As Entergy crews continue to restore full power to the school, Westdale will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday, September 21, 2021.