Marysville fire caused $4 million in damage

The Portland Tribune, Nov 14, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

A Portland firefighter works on the roof of Marysville School during the Nov. 10 fire that damaged the 88-year-old building. The fire caused about $4 million damage to the building and its contents.

L.E. BASKOW / Portland Tribune

The Nov. 10 fire that forced more than 400 students to flee Marysville School caused more than $4 million damage to the 88-year-old building.

Portland Fire & Rescue Fire investigators who are still looking for the fire’s cause said Saturday that the blaze caused about $2.75 million damage to the building and $1.5 million damage to its contents.

Investigators talked with nearly 100 witnesses and others trying to pinpoint the cause.

The two-alarm fire began at about 11:30 a.m. Nov. 10. Flames leaping 20 feet into the air destroyed much of the east end of the building, at 7733 S.E. Raymond St.

All 435 students and 17 teachers safely left the building and were taken to the Holgate Library branch, where parents were told to pick up their children. Two adults were treated for smoke inhalation.

Students start classes Monday, Nov. 16, at Rose City Park School on Northeast 57th Avenue, which has been closed since 2007. Volunteers have worked during the weekend to get the building ready for classes.

Old building lacked sprinklers

Marysville’s head custodian said the fire appeared concentrated in kindergarten and third grade classrooms. She said fire alarms went off during lunch period and the children filed out in an orderly fashion.

The custodian also said the fire might have started in the Discovery Zone, a hands-on classroom that allows students to learn about physics and engineering.

The kindergarten-through-eighth grade school offers a range of courses, including full-day kindergarten programs, SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) classes and Saturday Academy classes. The school's playground had recently been renovated at a cost of $1.3 million from community partnerships, but was left untouched by the fire.

Marysville School, built in 1921, did not have fire sprinklers because the district has not had the resources to retrofit every school.

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