Firemen from Lawrence, Lecompton, Oskaloosa, Topeka, Grantville and Delaware and Rock Creek townships came to the aid of the Perry fire department to battle a large and costly fire that destroyed the old Perry High School building. The fire had reportedly started in the backstage area of the auditorium of the fifty-year-old building and had caused an estimated $500,000 in damages. The gymnasium addition (which had been separated by a firewall) and the administrative building were the only areas to escape destruction. Only two weeks of work were remaining on the new high school building, and the old high school had been intended for conversion to a junior high.

A man who had stood outside his home clad only in a tee shirt was referred to the Bert Nash Mental Health Center by police, who did not arrest the man. A 10-year-old girl walking home from school had witnessed the man, who had made no attempt to molest or talk to her. The girl had informed her mother of the incident, who had notified police.