Fire closes Laura Secord School

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This article was published 12/10/2011 (5324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some 600 kids at Laura Secord School in Wolseley got an early start to the Thanksgiving long weekend after a fire ignited during construction work last Wednesday.

As of late last week, the Winnipeg School Division was still assessing the damage and trying to determine if the K to Grade 6 school could be reopened. The school was closed Thursday and Friday heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend.

 

It was unknown if the school would reopen this week.

“They’re just taking it one day at a time,” said division spokeswoman Linda Wilson.

“There are lots of folks doing cleaning and it depends on how far they get. We’ve got four days.”

The fire broke out in a pile of construction material on the east side of the school, said Bill Clark, assistant chief of operations with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.

Renovations have been taking place on the school’s roof since spring, and the inside was recently painted, according to parents.

While the school endured minimal fire damage, there was severe smoke damage inside, Clark said.

“The fire broke some windows and window frames, but the fire didn’t extend into the building but a lot of smoke did,” Clark said.

“I doubt very much it’s going to be open in a week or so because there’s a fair amount of smoke damage in that end.”

That has some parents concerned.

“This is an ancient school and it’s well used,” said Wolseley resident Ariel Gordon. “It’s the last thing you want, where do the kids go?”

Tomas Sohlberg said his two sons, in Grades 1 and 5, were heading back to school from home when they noticed the flames.

“They said they were as high as the trees,” he said.

One of his son’s classrooms is near where the fire tried climbing into the school he said. He said he was waiting to hear from the division about when school could continue.

“After I found out that both my boys were OK, my second question was now what? What’s going to happen to the school?” he said.

“I’m assuming it’s definitely closed for the next two days and the weekend, then I’m sure we’ll get some information on maybe alternate schools.”