Students who should have been attending the final day of their first week of classes at Parkcrest Elementary in Kamloops instead came to school to see the aftermath of a devastating fire.
“It’s all gone,” said Grade 5 student Jordan Pearce, who watched her school burn Thursday night. “Today I came back and the classroom, it has a missing wall, and that was my Grade 1 and 2 classroom. And on the left side the whole roof has collapsed, and that was my classroom this year.”
Another Grade 5 student, Kiera Beenen, couldn’t stay away either. “It’s sad, because a whole bunch of our family members went there, I went there, my cousins went there.”
While no students or staff were hurt in the blaze that broke out at 5 p.m. Thursday, a class pet did not survive. “One of the teachers, Mr. Roszmann, had a pet bunny named Thumper and it was in there during the fire,” said Pearce.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
The district says it will re-build Parkcrest, which could cost $20 million. Parents have been told students won’t have classes next week, but the district hopes to find spots for them in other schools by the following week.
“We aim to meet that goal,” said Superintendent Alison Sidow. “It’s really important for all of our young people that they have stability in their lives and families feel supported.”
