Fire Officials Probing Blaze at S.J. Middle School

By Kimra McPherson, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Jun. 5–San Jose fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire early this morning inside a classroom at a middle school in East San Jose.

The one-alarm fire was reported at about 1:38 a.m. when the alarm system went off at LeyVa Middle School, 1865 Monrovia Drive, fire Capt. Alberto Olmos said. A window in the room was broken, and it appears something was thrown into the room, principal Christopher Corpus said.

A security guard responded to the alarm, saw smoke coming from room 17 in the school’s social studies wing and called the fire department.

Firefighters were able to confine the blaze to part of the classroom, Olmos said. Smoke damaged a second classroom, Corpus said. Those classes are now meeting in other rooms.

“The students have done a great job in adjusting,” Corpus said. He said the fire was especially disheartening because about 100 students, faculty and community members spent Saturday doing a clean-up project at the school and surrounding neighborhoods.

“A lot of the community takes great pride in what’s going on,” Corpus said. “We hope the same community pride is what’s going to solve this crime.”

Fire officials have not said whether the fire was set deliberately. If it is determined to be an arson, the Evergreen Elementary School District will offer a reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever set the fire, Corpus said.

Anyone with information on the fire is asked to call the San Jose Fire Department at (408) 277-8952 or the school district at (408) 270-6800.

Contact Kimra McPherson at kmcpherson@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5928.

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Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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