Fire of still unknown origin razed a five-decade-old building with 14 classrooms of the Dumaguete City High School in barangay Calindadan early Thursday.
OIC Principal Alden Rabina said in an interview that a school security guard on duty said he saw a spark coming from the ceiling of the building at about 1:10 a.m., after which fire broke out.
The security guard then reported the incident to the police and fire stations, Rabina said.
By the time the firefighters and fire trucks arrived at about 1:20 a.m., at least five classrooms were engulfed in flames that rapidly spread throughout the building, he said.
Fire out was declared at 3:15 a.m. but nothing was saved from all 14 classrooms.
The damage was estimated to be at least P300,000, excluding the personal belongings of teachers.
An investigation is ongoing as to the cause of the fire.
Rabina said the fire spread quickly throughout the building due to its decrepit state.
Built in 1968, it was the original building constructed for the City High School, he said.
The building was condemned in 2005 to give way to a modernization plan but Rabina said all of its classrooms were still being used prior to the fire due to the lack of classrooms and the growing student population.
The classrooms had also been used as polling precincts, including in last month’s mid-term elections, he said.
Grade 8 students using the burned classrooms are currently holding classes at the school gymnasium.
Rabina expressed hope that with the help of barangay and city officials and the Department of Education, they could build temporary school buildings for Grade 8 students and a few Grade 7 sections, until a new building is constructed. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
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