Fire razes high school in Idaho

MIDDLETON, Idaho – Fire swept through this small city’s high school Thursday, sending smoke hundreds of feet into the air and closing school for more than 1,000 students and teachers. School officials estimated damages in the millions of dollars.

There were no reports of injuries from the fire, which broke out about 7 a.m., just minutes before hundreds of students would have been preparing to start classes for the day. Buses that arrived with students for school were redirected.

Dozens of people watched nearby as the blaze tore through the building’s wood and steel roof. The fire left a smoldering ruin. Only a newer addition to the 42-year-old school was saved thanks to a firewall, but an inch of water was on the floor inside.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, though it was believed to have started in the boiler room, said Doug Strosnider, deputy fire chief for the nearby Nampa Fire Department.

“It’s a total loss. They’re going to have to bulldoze it and it will be gone. There’s nothing here to save,” Strosnider said of the burned areas.

An estimated 65 firefighters from 14 agencies fought the blaze.

Middleton, which has about 3,000 residents, is about 20 miles west of Boise on Interstate 84. The district canceled classes at the high school and a nearby middle school through today.

The fire gutted an old gymnasium, computer lab, library and classrooms, as well as administrative offices. Damages were estimated at $10 million, school Superintendent Rich Bauscher said.

About 30 band members and some teachers were inside the building when the fire started. All were evacuated safely.

The high school has 725 students. Middleton Middle School, about 100 feet from the burned building, has 720 students.

The 72,000-square-foot building did not have sprinklers in the area where the fire started.

“Had this been a sprinklered school, we wouldn’t be out here right now,” Strosnider said. “Unfortunately, this is a major loss for our community.”