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Fire breaks out at Lillie C. Evans Elementary School in Northwest Miami-Dade

Fire breaks out at Northwest Miami-Dade elementary school
Fire breaks out at Northwest Miami-Dade elementary school 00:12

MIAMI – A fire broke out at a Northwest Miami-Dade elementary school on Sunday.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, crews are currently at the scene of the blaze at Lillie C. Evans Elementary School on 1895 NW 75th St.

According to fire rescue reports, the fire was located in the school's cafeteria. As of 1:40 p.m., the fire is now under control and no patients were found.

CBS News Miami has a crew on the scene, where there are still several fire crews at the school.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

A short history of the school's namesake

The school was dedicated in March 1959 as a permanent memorial to Mrs. Lille Carmichael, an educational leader in Miami-Dade County who died the year before.

Evans was born in Mississippi in 1876, graduated from Roger Williams University and married Rev. J.R. Evans soon after. 

The family moved to Miami in 1918 and Evans was appointed principal of Washington Graded School in 1920. 

There she kept pace with new trends in public education. 

According to her biography, hers was the first school in South Florida to provide an accredited, 12-grade education for Black children. 

She went on to serve as principal of Booker T. Washington and Dunbar elementary schools before retiring in 1938. 

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Lillie C. Evans Courtesy of Lille C. Evans Elementary School
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