Campbell River high school closure extended due to fire

Carihi Secondary School in Campbell River has extended the duration of its closure to students – following a fire on the property overnight that drew a response from multiple departments and a crowd of onlookers.

“We have decided to close school on Monday, Nov. 25 so that was can assess the situation and move forward,” says Campbell River School District Superintendent Geoff Manning.

Classes were already cancelled Friday, since firefighters were still at the scene knocking down flames at the Dogwood Street school into daylight hours.

In a statement to the community, city officials are discouraging people from visiting the area, which garnered a crowd of onlookers when the fire broke out around 11 p.m. Thursday.

“It’s definitely sad to see. And I hope that they can get it under control as fast as possible,” says 2020 graduate Anastasia McGill.

The fire was shooting through the roof and smoke could be seen spilling from doorways.

“Best we can tell, it looks like (the fire) started somewhere back towards the kitchen area and then it migrated down some hallways and up into the mezzanine area of the gym,” says Campbell River Fire Chief Dan Verdun.

Despite the chief saying the fire spread above the sprinkler system and through other parts of the school, he confirmed Friday that the fire was contained to the west end of the school. He’s also thanking the Oyster River and Courtenay fire departments for their help.

The official cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.

School District 72’s superintendent says staff are working on a plan for students to get back to class.

“We’re looking at a lot of different options, whether it’s through scheduling, having different shifts of education. And we’re also looking at all our options for alternative sites,” says Manning. “There is a large part of the school that will be serviceable soon.”

There are no reports of injuries and the chief says the school was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

“All of my classes are down in that area and probably burnt to a crisp at this point,” says Lexi Human, a Grade 10 student who was at the scene Thursday night.

“We have a lot of events going on right now, especially with Christmas around the corner. We have Angel Tree and donation bins that we’re doing to help support certain people. And a lot of people will be really disappointed not to come in tomorrow,” she says.

The district says students and guardians will be updated on the return to class through Carihi Secondary’s website.