Whitefield Elementary School was set to reopen March 17, a full week after a small fire in the school gym, Regional School Unit 12 Superintendent Howard Tuttle said March 10.

A custodian used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire early March 10, Whitefield Fire Chief Scott Higgins said.

The fire started in the area of a light in the gym and was not considered suspicious, officials said.

School was first canceled the day of the fire to make sure the gym was free of the chemicals used to put it out; officials later learned that the cleanup and other work, including inspections, would take the rest of the week.

The school district then informed parents that the school would reopen March 17, Tuttle said. Friday, March 14, had not been a scheduled school day for Whitefield Elementary. Tuttle said he called the state to see if the lost days could be excused from having to be made up, on the grounds that the school had an emergency. He had not heard back yet from state officials, he said.

The fire was out when Whitefield firefighters arrived, Higgins said. Firefighters from Alna, Jefferson and Somerville were called out to help, but were later told they could turn their trucks around, he said.