Highlights
- Lightning struck Red Mountain High School's transformer and emergency generator during Wednesday's storm, cutting power while students were at lunch.
- Principal Bruce Cosseboom closed the 100s level and relocated affected classrooms; regular class schedules continued Thursday.
- Students with water-damaged laptops are advised not to plug in or power on devices until fully dry.
- The school's facilities team is on site Thursday to clean up, make repairs, and assess damage.
Lightning struck the transformer and emergency generator at Red Mountain High School in Mesa during Wednesday's storms, knocking out power while students were at lunch and flooding portions of the campus, principal Bruce Cosseboom announced.
Cosseboom closed the 100s level to students and moved those classrooms to other locations on campus. Classes continued on their regular schedule Thursday. Staff were stationed across campus to help students find their temporary rooms, and lunch was served at food stations distributed around the grounds.
Students whose laptops or personal items were exposed to water are advised to remove devices from their bags and allow them to air dry completely before attempting to power them on. The school's facilities team is on site Thursday to clean up, make repairs, and assess the damage.
Parents and students can check the school's Facebook page for updated classroom locations. "Our facilities and school teams are working to ensure that all areas being used by students and staff are safe and ready for the school day. Areas affected by the storm will remain closed until they can safely reopen," Cosseboom said, according to Arizona's Family.
The storm was part of a broader monsoon event that flooded roads and triggered water rescues across Maricopa County, with water levels in Scottsdale climbing to nearly two feet in some areas. Three people were killed on the Navajo Nation after being swept away by floodwaters.
No timeline for reopening the 100s level has been announced; the facilities assessment Thursday will determine next steps.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 17/09/2026 12:23
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 17/09/2026 12:23. Every claim traces to a source.
