Fire Guts Vacant School

Fire has destroyed the idled Harding Gibbs Middle School, leaving only the gymnasium and locker rooms of the 73-year-old building but injuring no one.

Firth Fire Chief Bruce Anthony said firefighters prevented the early Friday morning fire from spreading to Firth High School about 20 feet north of the Harding Gibbs building.

The two-story brick middle school has been empty since August when a new middle school was opened.

Anthony said it took 35 firefighters from Firth, Blackfoot and Shelley most of the night to put out the blaze.It was too early to estimate the amount of damage or to determine the cause of the fire, Anthony said. The department plans to demolish what remains of the building after an investigation is completed.