Anaheim : Arson Is Suspected in Elementary School Fire

A fire that swept through the administrative offices of Twila Reid Elementary School Monday night probably was set by an arsonist, fire investigators said Tuesday.

“We’ve eliminated all the possible natural causes--anything that would have been accidental, such as an electrical problem, cigarettes or lightening,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Gail McCloud of the Anaheim Fire Department. “We think somebody went in there and set it. We’re looking for the point of break-in and the origin of the fire.”

Investigators were not sure what was used to start the fire, but they have ruled out inflammable liquid, McCloud said.

The principal’s office, school nurse’s office and staff lounge burned. A room that serves as the cafeteria and auditorium was scorched by the heat, McCloud said.

None of the classrooms was affected, and no one was injured.

Damage to the 25-year-old building was estimated at $250,000. Damage to the contents--furniture, typewriters, files, books and records--was put at $100,000. Much of the damage was from heat and smoke, McCloud said. Student records were not damaged, according to Principal Mark Dolter.

The flames seem to have originated near the nurse’s office at about 10 p.m., McCloud said. The fire spread to the roof, which McCloud said was “burned clear through,” and also spread out the windows to the roof of an adjoining patio, where the “heat was so intense that it melted the plastic tops of some tables,” he said.

The school, which has 480 pupils, was closed Monday in observance of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. On Tuesday, employees whose offices were burned conducted business in the library, Dolter said.

“Everything’s gone smoothly,” he said. “It’s not hectic at all. Everybody is pitching in to help.”

Dolter said he is certain the building cannot be repaired before the school year ends in June. Until then, much of the work will be moved to temporary trailers, and teachers, now without a lounge, will have their lunches in empty classrooms, he said.