Fire investigators announced Wednesday they believe a fire that caused $200,000 damage to an elementary school Tuesday was purposely set.
Officials from the Salt Lake County Fire Department, the state fire marshal's office and the sheriff's office sifted through the burnt debris at Oakdale Elementary Tuesday and Wednesday and conducted several interviews before coming to the conclusion."They've determined it is a definite case of arson," said Fire Capt. Dennis Steadman.
The fire broke out just after 9 a.m. Tuesday in the music room of the school, 1950 E. 8100 South. The two-alarm blaze gutted that room and spread smoke throughout the building, causing about $150,000 in structural damage and $50,000 damage to the building's contents.
Investigators would not release details about how the fire started and will not elaborate until they complete their interviews, Steadman said. Arson investigators are apparently still interviewing students and adults. "We're looking at everybody," Steadman said.
The arrangement of some of the items inside the music room, where the blaze began, apparently helped investigators conclude that the school was purposely set ablaze.
"There were some things out of place that weren't where they were supposed to be," Steadman explained.
No arrests have yet been made in the case. Students were sent home Tuesday, and most returned to classes Wednesday. No injuries were reported in the fire.
Some parents who felt the building was not ready for regular classroom work kept their students home. Some 138 children either did not go to school Wednesday or were called back home by their parents during the day, said Patty Dahl, Jordan District spokeswoman.
"They complained that the smoke smell in the school was still too great," Dahl said. "We felt that since the building was structurally sound and didn't represent any danger to the children they were better off in class, despite the smoke smell. There are only a few (school) days left this year and they should be learning." The Jordan school year ends June 5.
Children were asked to help wash down their desks, she said, but that is often the case as the school year winds down.
By Thursday morning, Principal Bob Aders said, purifiers sent from Denver had largely dealt with the smoke smell and he expected to get the school back to as normal a routine as possible.
More than 40 firefighters from Salt Lake County, Sandy and Midvale battled the fire for more than an hour before it was brought under control.
When the fire alarm first went off, Aders and another school employee went to the northwest area of the building where the alarm system indicated the fire was located. They opened the door to the music room and black smoke immediately came out.
The door was not locked, but Aders said there was no reason for students to be inside the music room when the fire started. Classes at Oakdale do not begin until 9:10 a.m.
Education Editor Twila Van Leer contributed to this story.