Valley school back on track after fire

By second period Monday, a few missing ceiling tiles were the only evidence outside the Bowdish Middle School choir classroom that the school’s roof had been on fire Sunday morning.

Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, two dozen people and seven vehicles from the Spokane Valley Fire Department rushed to the school at 21st Avenue and Skipworth Road to put out a fire that ended up burning an area about 10 feet wide.

Heavy rain helped put out the fire, but the rain also poured in through a hole above the school’s choir room. Damage was confined to a hallway, and the water spared several nearby cabinets filled with musical instruments.

“We’re up and running,” said Principal Dave Bouge. A crew spent most of Sunday drying the carpet and cleaning.

“I think the kids were optimistic about getting some time off, but no such luck,” he said.

Part of the roof will have to be replaced. Central Valley School District officials estimate the damage will total about $10,000 or less, said district spokeswoman Melanie Rose.

Joseph Shoop, 18, and a 17-year-old boy were arrested soon after the fire, officials said.

Investigators believe the fire started after teens moved a late-night party to the roof of the building.

“They lit a patio umbrella, two plastic chairs and a piece of lattice on fire and left the school,” said Fire Department spokesman Bill Clifford.

This is the first time in two decades fire has threatened the school, Bouge said, but late-night trespassing has been an ongoing problem.

“This is not the first time that I’ve had to deal with folks wandering through our property,” he said.