CHIRENO, Texas (KTRE) - Chireno ISD will be moving nearly 90 elementary students to a portable classroom following a fire that damaged three classrooms.
The school first caught fire after classes had let out for the day on Friday. One person was in the building, but no one was injured.
The State Fire Marshal determined the cause of the fire was electrical, said Chireno ISD Superintendent Brian King. The fire damaged three classrooms and smoke damage spread through the entire building, which King said is one of the oldest buildings on campus.
“We do have fans in there, some small ozone fans to try to dissipate some of that,” King said.
The district will move nearly 90 students from pre-K to third grade into a portable building the school purchased three years ago during new middle school construction.
“We are all hands on deck, ready to start moving our elementary classrooms that are affected into new spaces,” King said.
The school is asking for box donations to help teachers move their classroom supplies and items.
“We were able to meet with our teachers today and let them do a little inventory, I think we’re going to be okay for the most part on supplies. We’re very fortunate for that,” King said.
The district announced the school closure for the entire week over the weekend.
“Our kids got the week off, but our staff is here,” King said.
King said they are waiting for the insurance company to complete its assessment.
“Once we get everybody cleared of those spaces, we’ll be able to sit down and make better decisions about what’s going to be the future of that building,” King said.
Officials said Chireno Elementary School will remain closed until its spring semester.
Despite the campus closure, Chireno ISD plans to host basketball games Tuesday and Friday as originally scheduled.