School to remain closed for now

Fire, smoke took toll on Bear Creek High

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 23, 2008 at 12:19 p.m.
Updated April 23, 2008 at 11:43 p.m.

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Jefferson County's Bear Creek High School will be closed at least through Monday as crews clean up after a fire that gutted a gymnasium and left extensive smoke damage, the principal said Wednesday.

Investigators for the West Metro Fire Protection District now suspect that the blaze Tuesday was caused by arson. They are interviewing students and faculty members, said Cindy Matthews, the agency's community outreach director.

Tips should be phoned in at 303 539-9523.

Investigators are not sure what chemicals were used or if the fire was the work of a lone arsonist or a group, Matthews said.

The fire damaged a small gym used for wrestling and gymnastics.

Mats and other equipment caught fire.

The flames were hot enough to damage a steel support beam. That problem will have to be addressed before the room can be used, Matthews said.

Principal Phyllis Emrich said the district has not yet decided where Bear Creek's 1,865 students will attend school if the closure extends beyond Monday.

The Bear Creek students took the ACT college entrance exam Wednesday at Green Mountain High School.

Air-quality was being tested Wednesday, Emrich said. Students were not being let in to collect to their belongings.

Emrich said the district must now decide how much to spend on repairing the fire damage since the school will be replaced by a new building that opens in April, 2009.

A fire last year in a ceramics room caused $1.2 million in damage. That blaze was not blamed on arson, Matthews said.

The cost of the latest fire has not been estimated, Emrich said.

morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5209

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