Camden County Schools students returned to class Wednesday morning, but at one elementary school, the first day of school started with eight fewer classrooms.
A fire Tuesday, July 28, at David L. Rainer Elementary School in one classroom forced the school system to start the year off without one wing.
“We had an electrical fire in a classroom, which caused smoke and soot that caused extensive damage in that hallway, leading us to have to shut down the entire wing,” Camden County Schools Superintendent Tracolya Green said.
The fire occurred about 11 p.m. at night, and the fire alarm triggered first responders to the school. The extensive damage to the “B Wing” – which houses mostly second- and third-grade classrooms – resulted in the school postponing the school’s open house until Monday.
“It was a successful open house, even though we had limited access to the wing,” Green said.
The fire was contained to one classroom, but Green said there is extensive damage in the entire wing because of smoke and soot.
“They responded very quickly, and it was contained,” she said. “It’s the smoke contaminants and soot that caused a lot of the damage, way more than I would have thought.”
Green said the damage results in a variety of measures being taken to repair the school, including:
• Removal of heating, ventilation and air conditioning ducts.
• Carpet extraction in some classrooms.
• Removal of grid ceiling tiles so they can be cleaned and replaced.
• Cleaning electronics.
• Removal and replacement of wood cabinets and windows.
• Removal, cleaning and some replacement of light fixtures.
• Removal and replacement of vinyl tiles.
Green also said the school district is working with staff to replace personal and classrooms items. Teachers and staff had already been at the school for two days preparing for the upcoming school year before the fire.
Despite the displacement of eight classes, Green said Principal Corey Wilson and his team developed a plan to keep all students in the school.
“There were other spaces we could utilize,” she said. “We combined some teachers and spaces in hopes of being in those spaces for two weeks.”
Green said the two-week turnaround is “a very ambitious goal,” but she said she’s confident third-party vendors and school staff can complete the fixes by then. Unlike last year’s bat infestation at St. Marys Elementary School, the fire at David L. Rainer Elementary will be paid for through the school district’s insurance.
“It’s definitely a blessing to still have the building, and more importantly, that we didn’t have staff in the space and it didn’t happen in the school day and happened after hours and off-calendar,” Green said. “Everyone has been extremely positive.”