Documents reveal prior cases of ‘fuses blowing’ before Wildwood school HVAC fire

Before a classroom heating and cooling unit caught fire at Wildwood High School in Cape May County, New Jersey, in February, newly obtained documents reveal there had been “a very frequent problem with fuses blowing” in the same type of units there and at Glenwood Avenue Elementary School.

“Anytime a fuse blows, that’s that’s a flag that goes up,” said Ken Herrmann, a New Jersey master HVAC contractor.

Since early March, NBC10 has been investigating a pattern of similar HVAC fires at schools in Galloway Township, New Jersey, as well as in Northeast Pennsylvania and Washington state. More than a half-dozen incidents were reported between November and late February — all involving the same brand, Airedale by Modine.

NBC10 has now obtained an “important product safety notice” from Modine that was sent to a Wildwood school district contractor the day of the fire. The advisory says the company identified a potential mechanical issue with certain equipment configurations that may affect the operation of a ventilation blower.

While described as extremely rare, the notice indicates Modine determined there is a chance the equipment could fail, resulting in damage to the unit.

“They’re covering themselves at that point. They’re acknowledging, hey, there’s something here that could be a problem,” Herrmann said. “A lot of this equipment is outsourced to different motor manufacturers, and it could be one particular motor that could be failing.”

Herrmann, a state-licensed master HVAC contractor, said the incidents raise concerns about changing operating conditions within the systems.

“There’s something that’s changing, the condition of the op, the operating parameters of this thing,” he said.

Although no injuries have been reported, the fires have prompted growing concern and investigations involving multiple agencies, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Modine has not responded to NBC10’s requests for comment.

Following the company’s recommendation after the Wildwood fire, officials disconnected part of the system for all Modine HVAC units at the two school buildings where they are installed.

Officials said Wildwood had planned to replace several older HVAC units this summer at the elementary school with the same Modine equipment previously purchased by the district. Those plans are now on hold following the fires.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.