Investigation into HVAC fires in classrooms stretches from NJ to Pa.

At Arthur Rann Elementary School in Galloway Township, remediation crews are working to clear the air as investigators try to get to the bottom of fires in four separate HVAC units in less than a month.

The alarming issue sparked a call across state lines from New Jersey to northeast Pennsylvania.

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Plains Township Fire Captain Curt Nocera was told about the HVAC fires in Galloway that happened on two separate nights in January and February, plus a fifth in a classroom at Wildwood High School.

“I was honestly very shocked that he would have reached out to Plains Township with his concerns as well,” he said.

Captain Nocera was especially surprised because Plains Township just had a similar HVAC fire in a local school in November.

“We could not determine the actual cause of the fire,” Nocera said. “Our children and safety is top priority in my book.”

The units involved in each fire are all from the same brand: Airdale by Modine.

The half dozen fires all happened at night before school had opened for the day.

Investigators from both states have traded notes to figure out why the fires are starting and whether there’s a link.

“This is an ongoing problem that needs to be investigated,” Nocera said.

After the second batch of fires at the Galloway school, power was cut to the rest of the HVAC units.

NBC10 learned that a thorough check revealed evidence that some of them were starting to burn as well.

School district records show the units in Galloway and Wildwood were installed by the same company.

Both districts also used the same architectural firm to design the HVAC systems.

Neither the architectural firm nor Modine have returned NBC10’s requests for comments.

No one was hurt in any of the fires.