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Columbus Elementary Fire Considered Suspicious

Male Found At Scene Taken For Questioning

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By Donna Willis
Published: July 30, 2010
Updated: July 30, 2010 - 5:12 PM

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COLUMBUS, Ohio --

GERMAN VILLAGE -- Fire investigators say a fire that broke out at a Columbus City Schools elementary building overnight Friday is arson.

NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS from Columbus fire and the school district.

There was a fire at Stewart Alternative Elementary School, 40 Stewart Ave., overnight Friday.

The Columbus Division of Fire was called to the scene at about 1:40 a.m.

Several residents called in the fire, CFD said.

The fire started in a storage room in a first-floor classroom and burned through to the second floor.

The school suffered extensive damage, estimated at $100,000, according to CFD. Charred books, files and furniture laid outside the school, as workers cleaned up the aftermath.

Arson investigators were called to the scene.

A male was found inside the building and treated by medics. He was taken into police custody for questioning. Neighbors awoke to sirens and went outside to see firefighters extinguishing the fire. A woman who lives across the street from the school said flames were filling the first floor next to the Stewart Avenue entrance.

District spokesperson Kim Norris said the students will go to nearby Beck Elementary School instead. The district is working to open that building and will do a quick conversion. The first day of classes is August 25.

Students, parents and alumni stopped by the school Friday morning to see the damage and show their support. Chrissi Courtney's two sons attend the school and she wanted to reassure them.

"Just to let them know that it's not completely burned down and it can be repaired and it'll be fixed and we'll be back here in no time and everything will be OK," she said.

Rodney Kellum's two daughters graduated from Stewart Alternative.

"It's just a special school to us, so I was pretty shocked about the whole thing. So we just wanted to see what happened," he said.

Additional information was not available immediately.

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