By Sean Garmire
The Eureka Times-Standard
EUREKA, Calif. — A fire that started in a South Bay Elementary School classroom late Monday night was extinguished by firefighters before it could spread to other parts of the building, but the blaze badly damaged the school’s structure, fire officials reported Tuesday.
Officials are not yet certain how the fire was sparked, but at around 11 p.m. Monday, a caller reported smoke rising from the school grounds.
Firefighters with Humboldt No. 1 Fire Protection District responded, and found a classroom near the center of the school that was fully involved in fire, the fire agency reported.
“It was pretty much confined to one classroom,” said Fire Chief Ken Woods.
Workers spent Tuesday clearing out the charred and soaked rubble that was removed from the gutted room. There was nothing left inside classroom 8, but the rooms on either side appeared undisturbed.
Woods said because the flames began to spread to an adjacent classroom, firefighters had to rip through the roof above the room, adding to the damage.
Around 31 firefighters were needed to stop the fire. The blaze was quelled about 40 minutes after fire crews responded, the fire agency reported.
While the school is closed this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, South Bay Principal Marie Twibell was busy in her office.
Twibell said the room was a resource room used by students with disabilities in kindergarten through 6th grade.
The other wings of the school were undamaged by the fire, and Twibell said administrators will relocate the students to another classroom while the fire-damaged part of the building is repaired.
Fire district officials produced a rough estimate of $350,000 in damage was done to the school’s structure, and about $50,000 worth of teaching materials and other classroom contents were lost.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Woods said.
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