Posted on: Monday, May 9, 2005

Cause of school fire still unknown

Associated Press

KALAHEO, Kaua'i — Fire investigators yesterday returned to Kalaheo Elementary School to determine the cause of the Saturday fire that destroyed a building housing classrooms and the administration office.

Kaua'i Complex Area Superintendent Daniel Hamada said he expects today to learn the cause of the blaze that destroyed Building A. The fire also damaged two nearby portables.

The school, which has about 480 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, will resume classes tomorrow.

Hamada said his goal is to put all the displaced students in classrooms and not the cafeteria or any other makeshift facility. He said other classes will need to be reshuffled.

Building A was the oldest structure at the school, which celebrated its 100-year anniversary last year. The building has survived two hurricanes and served many generations of Kaua'i families.

It was an all-wood structure and was not equipped with sprinklers, Hamada said.

He said many people, including current and former students, as well as residents in the small community, have stopped by to see the damage. "They're just in shock," he said.

Hamada said some irreplaceable records kept in the school's administrative office were lost, but most important documents have backups stored electronically or in the school district's offices.

A similar fire destroyed an administration building at Wilcox Elementary School in Lihu'e in March 2003. Arson was suspected in that fire.