FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Fund-Raiser Launched After School Fire

An arson fire that destroyed two classrooms at Kazuo Masuda Middle School last Friday has prompted school officials and parents to start a fund-raising effort to help pay for the damage.

District officials said the fire caused between $350,000 and $500,000 in damage.

Police Sgt. Dann Bean said no one has been arrested and that the investigation is continuing.

Marc Ecker, an assistant superintendent of the Fountain Valley School District, said insurance will cover most of the cost. But Ecker said the district, already hurt by the Orange County bankruptcy, must pay a $40,000 deductible.

The Masuda Recovery Fund has been set up to accept community donations, and a committee of parents and school officials will be formed to oversee fund-raising activities, Principal Don Keller said.

“We’re hoping that the community will rally behind Masuda and help get these two classrooms up and going again,” Keller said. “The district doesn’t have the money right now.”

Keller said parents already have stepped forward to help with the committee and with donations. He said one parent donated a bag of sports equipment to the school, Keller said.

The fire charred a math classroom and a boys’ locker room that doubled as a homeroom. Both rooms had lockers with students’ belongings inside, and everything was lost, Keller said.

When building sprinklers sprayed during the fire, the water flooded through the media center, teacher’s lounge and front office, ruining the carpets, Keller said. He said there was no damage to the media center’s book collection.

“We had a real challenge getting the school up and running Monday,” Keller said. “It really looked like a disaster.”

Neither of the burned classrooms had sprinklers.

Donations can be sent to Kazuo Masuda Middle School, 17415 Los Jardines West, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.