Fire Destroys 2 Rooms at Simi Valley School
Fire destroyed two classrooms and heavily damaged two others at a Simi Valley elementary school early Sunday, causing a loss estimated at $500,000, authorities said.
Investigators determined that a malfunctioning clock caused the blaze at Park View Elementary School, 1500 Alexander St., said Jackie Noel, a dispatcher for the Ventura County Fire Department. Noel said two firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting the fire.
About 130 first- and second-grade pupils--more than a fifth of the school’s approximately 620 students--will be displaced because of the fire. The students will be taught in the school’s library, computer lab, or in two special-education classrooms during the five weeks remaining in the school year, Principal Rob Hunter said.
“Services to the kids won’t be interrupted in any way,” Hunter said. “We’ll just change the way we deliver the services.” Park View was not scheduled to be used for summer classes.
The 2:15 a.m. fire swept through one of five four-classroom wings at the school, one of the largest of the Simi Valley Unified School District’s 19 elementary schools, Supt. John Duncan said.
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