Adam Smeltz
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(TNS)
Feb. 12—Classes at Elizabeth Forward High School are suspended after a four-alarm fire Sunday ravaged the school auditorium and sent smoke throughout the building.
No one was reported hurt.
More than a dozen fire companies responded after a passer-by reported heavy smoke appearing from the auditorium area of the school about 5:30 a.m., Elizabeth Township police Chief Kenneth Honick said. First responders arrived to flames shooting from the auditorium.
"The entire high school had smoke exposure," Chief Honick said late Sunday morning. While authorities had yet to evaluate the full extent of damage, the interior is "definitely not an environment they're ready to send any children into for the foreseeable future."
Firefighters had extinguished the blaze as of 11 a.m. but kept pouring water to make sure "there's no unseen fire in the walls or the roof area," Chief Honick said.
At that point, worries about structural damage and a collapse risk in the auditorium area led responders to handle any additional dousing from the outside — a safety precaution, the chief said.
Around noon, an exterior wall there appeared to have buckled and cracked. The fire looks to have started in the auditorium, with significant damage stretching to spaces used for musical instruction, Chief Honick said. Workers were using exhaust fans to pull residual smoke from the structure.
The cause of the fire did not immediately appear to be suspicious, and the Allegheny County fire marshal's office and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are investigating its origins, Chief Honick said.No one was in the building when firefighters arrived, he said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the school has a sprinkler system or when the fire started. Detailed damage assessments can begin once municipal and county authorities turn over the scene for restoration, Chief Honick said.
Constructed in the early 1950s, the multi-level, yellow-brick school faces Weigles Hill Road in a residential part of the township. In a letter to parents, district administrators said there will be no in-person or virtual school Monday for the high school students. About 750 were enrolled as of the 2021-22 year.
"We are coordinating with the high school administrative team to assess the faculty and students' technology needs," wrote Keith M. Konyk and Mary Carole Perry, the superintendent and assistant to the superintendent, respectively. "The plan is to begin virtual learning on Tuesday ... until further notice. We will better understand long-term plans within the next few days."
The building itself will be closed until further notice, they wrote, adding that arrangements are in the works for previously scheduled events and other activities. "We know our students will be heartbroken over this situation, and we are working on providing virtual access to our school counselors to offer support.
"We are just asking for patience as we navigate this unexpected tragedy," the administrators wrote.
Watching the spectacle about midday, alumnus Jim Donnelly, 44, said his daughter, Elizabeth Forward sophomore Jiada Donnelly, was in Florida for a cheerleading competition when she got the news. Cheerleaders "were all texting and calling trying to figure this out," he said.
"She's a little bit upset and sad about it," Mr. Donnelly said. "I know the seniors on the [cheerleading] team — it's emotional for them" as they approach graduation.
He said "everyone pretty much knows everyone" in the tight-knit school community. He expects residents will rally to help the school, he said.
The school band had just been preparing for a Disney field trip, said Dan Poirier, the township board president. He saw some fire damage up close and described the auditorium as ruined, with a couple inches of water on the floor.
Black soot reached most of the school, he said. He saw a lot of water, too, in areas used for music education.
"It's devastating," Mr. Poirier said. "The biggest thing is that no one got hurt. Thank God it was on a Sunday morning, when no one was in there. Imagine if it had been a weekday."
He praised collaboration among first responders and on-scene support from the township departments. One resident donated more than 40 pizzas to feed the workers, Mr. Poirier said.
"We'll be back stronger," said Mr. Donnelly, the parent. "That's just how we are."
Adam Smeltz: [email protected], @asmeltz on Twitter
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