Kamloops school fire not arson, but cause still undetermined
Posted September 10, 2019 12:53 pm.
Last Updated September 10, 2019 12:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) – A fire that destroyed Parkcrest Elementary School in Kamloops last week wasn’t arson, and School Board Chair Kathleen Karpuk says while that is a relief, the exact cause has yet to be identified.
“Knowing that this is an accident really does relieve some of that strain. Knowing that it wasn’t a deliberately set fire, I think, does make people feel a bit safer,” she says.
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“We’ll be waiting for a more in-depth report from Kamloops Fire Rescue to find out what the cause of the fire was and then, once we have that, we’ll be looking to see if there’s anything we can do to prevent something similar in the future.”
The school was built before sprinklers were mandatory and replacing it could cost as much as $20 million.
Arrangements have been made to move 350 students to a nearby school until Parkcrest can be rebuilt, which may take up to two years.
