Investigators Call for help Solving Coto de Caza School Blaze

Orange County Fire Authorities today issued a call to the public asking for help determining the cause of a blaze in a vacant school in Coto de Caza.

The blaze inside the Merryhill elementary school -- closed since 20008 -- was reported at 11:36 p.m. Wednesday, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

The OCFA dispatched 35 firefighters to the scene and declared a knock down at 1:01 a.m., Concialdi said.

The blaze caused $200,000 in damage, Concialdi said. One classroom was destroyed and others were damaged by fire, smoke and water, Concialdi said.

The cause of the fire was still undetermined. Authorities hope that if anyone saw anything suspicious around the time of the fire that they would call investigators at (714) 573-6720 or email officials at ocfainvestigator@ocfa.org.

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