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Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.
Fairsite target of arson?
Weekend fire on campus being investigated
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Fairsite Elementary School second grade teacher Lynn Byerly stands in the burned out hole in the floor of her classroom right where she had her desk and teaching station set up. Byerly was forced to relocate to a new Fairsite classroom as the result of a suspected arson fire that was started outside the portable and burned through the floor of her classroom.
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By Rachael Ackerman
Herald Editor
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A weekend fire on the Fairsite Elementary School campus is being investigated by the fire department as a possible arson.
The Cosumnes Community Services District (CCSD), that provides fire and emergency medical service to Galt, received the call of a fire at Fairsite at 7:47 p.m. on Sunday. According to CCSD reports, the first units arrived on scene in four minutes. When they arrived, firefighters discovered smoke and flames on the right exterior of a 35x35-foot portable classroom on the 902 Caroline Avenue campus.
Engines quickly extinguished the blaze, and firefighters removed about eight feet of the classroom flooring to determine if the fire had spread to the sub floor of the portable.
While the official cause of the fire has not been officially deemed an attempt at arson, CCSD Communications Director Steve Capps said firefighters found some suspicious circumstances that led them to investigate the fire further and to believe that more than one fire may have been planned.
“Crews found a charred pile of combustible material up against the building where the fire started,” said Capps. “When inspecting other portables, a second such pile was found near the side of another portable classroom.”
Capps said campus security cameras are being viewed for any suspicious circumstances.
The room that was damaged was the campus home of second grade teacher Lynn Byerly, who was in the process of putting up the final touches for Fairsite’s open house this week.
“We told Lynn not to worry about open house, but she said she would not let the people who started the fire take that away from her kids,” said Fairsite Principal Mike Scully. “She was here late last night (Monday) and here again early this morning getting her new classroom prepared for open house. She just picked up the pieces and moved on, and now she and her kids and their high school buddies are working on all sorts of projects to get their classroom back in time for open house.”
Scully said it took all day on Monday just to clean up and recover as much classroom equipment as possible.
“The fire didn’t spread through the room, but the smoke damaged nearly everything and ruined anything we couldn’t wash,” said Scully. “In terms of the room, we’ll have to refurbish everything. A full one-fourth of the room will have to be replaced. The carpet will have to be replaced, new paint, and a treatment to get the smoke smell out of the room will be required before we can use it as a classroom again.”
Firefighters and Scully agreed that damages to the campus are estimated at around $10,000.
“We’re not happy about this, that’s for sure,” said Scully, “but we don’t take it personally. We really don’t think it was anything more than some kids experimenting that went too far. We’re glad there were some families playing soccer in the playfield who saw the smoke and immediately called 911. We’re just angry that someone would take funds from the district like this in such hard economic times. That $10,000 or more could have gone a long way in a lot of different areas for this district.”
District Superintendent Karen Schauer said that, while the fire was an unfortunate event, it has in no way shaken the security of the Fairsite campus.
“Our Fairsite campus is safe but unfortunate occurrences, even with the best of security, can happen especially after school hours,” said Schauer. “Maintenance Director Dave Brown, district maintenance staff and Fairsite employees worked hard together to get another classroom ready for Mrs. Byerly’s students to start Monday morning. I am proud of our school district’s teamwork to address this unfortunate event.”
The CCSD is working with the Galt Police Department
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