The early morning fire on July 5 at Trace Elementary in San Jose
will leave hundreds of children without a classroom and causes air
quality issues for the neighborhood. Here is a shot taken at noon. The
same scene is shown below taken at 8 am, showing that even after
the fire was under control, it continued to cause a great deal of damage
Photo: Amy Rabinovitz (All RightsReserved)
Calling the five-alarm fire that engulfed part of San Jose's Trace Elementary School Monday morning "a suspected crime scene," the San Jose Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Conant said SJFD would keep perimeter guards on the scene for "some time."
Also, although voluntary at present, there is a "shelter" warning to avoid outdoor activities around the Rose Garden, especially for the very young, the old and anyone with respiratory problems.
Click here for an updated story from the July 5 community meeting
(UPDATE on this: likely to be a "non'issue" by Tuesday)
The fire is suspected to have been caused by irresponsible fireworks. However, according to to a San Jose Fire Department spokesman, nothing has been ruled out.
The fire was reported at 4:17 am and fire trucks arrived quickly. After two hours the three alarm fire was upgraded to six alarm.
By 5:45 over 100 firefighters were on the scene and before 7 am the area was filled with trucks from the city (San Jose and Santa Clara) , the county, as well as a presence by San Jose Police Department, and PG&E. Command trucks, paramedics, port-a-potties, and food/hydration were still on site until about 9:30 am, at which time a more minimal presence was deemed appropriate.
At noon the firefighters were still spraying some half dozen streams at the hot spots.
The fire destroyed an older building that housed the library and classrooms for about 400-450 students. The school is San Jose's visual and performing arts elementary school, known for its high quality children's drama. During the school year, each student (K-5) each student performs at least once during the year.
Karen Fuqua, public information officer for San Jose Independent School District, also told parents and neighbors, many worried about air quality, that SJUSD would set up an information center. Other officials said the school would still open for classes on August 16, but had no immediate answers as to where the 2nd and 3rd graders whose classrooms have been destroyed would be housed. (UPDATE: The school opening has been confirmed by SJUSD and housing will be on site)
The school completed a $6million upgrade construction project in 2007/8. The new building was not destroyed by the fire. Located in San Jose's historic Rose Garden area, a popular area for people who jog, picnic and enjoy outdoor activities, the old, young and people with respiratory issues will want to stay inside.
At the time of this report, there were no known casualties. (UPDATE: one firefighter suffered minor injuries but no serious injuries have been reported throughout the day)
Comments
Spell check before you post! Second paragraph, last sentence, "distroyed"?
Thanks Leslie - I did spell check before I posted the first time, but as I interviewed others and went back into the article numerous times did let that slip by - I always appreciate a heads up on that stuff!
i am sad because trace is my school
Wow I can't believe it. This was my school back in the late 90's =(
It is NOT necessary to post a comment about a misspelled word in an article or to make Amy feel bad. People are more worried about the school then some silly minor word that has been misspelled. If you want to let her know about this issue email her or go talk to her in person. Very unprofessional!
I really can't beleive that after a tragedy like this that there are postings about misspellings and typos. What about the students? This is really going to affect them, especially after the nightmare of a buget that teachers are faced with.
Jess, the students really ARE affected and their turnout in the hundreds (at Sunday's community meeting) showed that. I'm so impressed with the School District for making counselors available immediately: both for the kids and as a resource to parents. In addition to the kids, I'm wondering about the stress on the school administrators, who have about 5 weeks to get everything cleaned (demolition is starting today, July 7) and get temp classrooms up and new supplies in. It is definitely one of those times when the community needs to come together.
Im so sad at this tradegy that has happened which will affect all of the children.My daughter and son attend this school,and we love it so much, the teachers are very good teachers the parent involvment,its just a really good school.We will just have to make the best of what we are going to have after all the teachers are the ones who are the ones teaching and educate our children, so if our children are going to be in portables for a while it really wont matter cause the teachers at Trace Elementary Are THE BEST!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!