Loma Prieta Schools Reopen Day After $1 Million Fire

Two schools have reopened today after a two-alarm fire that started late Sunday night at a shared building on campus prompted their closure Monday, school officials said.

A Los Gatos teen admitted to accidentally starting the blaze that closed Loma Prieta Elementary School and C.T. English Middle School at 23800 Summit Road, according to Loma Prieta Joint Union School District Superintendent Corey Kidwell. In a letter posted on the district’s website, Kidwell said neither school was damaged in the fire and noted the campus community will smell smoke for the next few days or weeks.

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Around 11:10 p.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to a report of a fire at a building split between a gym and a community center overseen by the district, Cal Fire Assistant Chief Robert Sherman said. Firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from the community center section of the building, according to Sherman. The blaze was contained at about 5:40 a.m. Monday, Sherman said.

The gym sustained water and smoke damage from the fire, he said. On Monday, classes were canceled for about 500 students who attend both schools because of debris and air quality issues from the fire, said Eileen Bevans-Franks, administrative assistant to the superintendent.

A school counselor will be available for students in need of support, Kidwell said.

The blaze caused an estimated $1 million in damage, Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Lt. Kelly Kent said.

A Santa Cruz County sheriff’s substation in the community center was damaged in the fire but no deputies were assigned there, Kent said. The 17-year-old boy who admitted to starting the fire told investigators he went to the elementary school to smoke marijuana with some friends, Kent said.

None of the teens had any drugs with them and decided to light a cardboard box on fire to stay warm, according to Kent. Before they left the school, the boy disposed some smoldering ashes he thought were already extinguished into a trash can, Kent said.

The boy was interviewed by investigators and then released, the lieutenant said. The case will be forwarded to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office for review, Kent said.

--Bay City News

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