Crime & Safety
Under-Construction Doherty High School Damaged In Fire
The 3-alarm fire broke out Monday near 3 p.m., sending a plume of black smoke into the sky above Worcester.
WORCESTER, MA — Worcester firefighters responded to a fire Monday afternoon at the under-construction Doherty High School along Highland Street. The incident was visible across Worcester and nearby towns due to a thick plume of black smoke that emanated from the roof of the school.
The fire broke out around 3 p.m., Worcester Deputy Fire Chief Adam Roche said at a news conference after the fire was put out. The cause of the fire was still under investigation Monday evening, but Roche acknowledged that roofing insulation stored on the top floor of the building caught fire.
No one was seriously injured during the fire, and school will proceed at next-door Doherty High School on Tuesday.
@ShiriSpear this is the new Doherty High School in Worcester. Structure fire pic.twitter.com/ElZQL2OPKL
— Fradomtra (@FporcFranco) September 12, 2022
The $293 million Doherty High School project broke ground in November 2021. Since then, the cost of the school has grown by some $23 million, which was paid for out of the city's federal pandemic stimulus allotment. The school is supposed to open in time for the 2024 school year.
