SW Portland school goes up in flames, no injuries
A school in southwest Portland caught fire early Thursday morning, just two days after it welcomed students for the school year.
Posted — UpdatedPortland Fire & Rescue crews responded to a commercial fire at Southwest Sherman Street and Southwest Water Avenue at 2:43 a.m., which firefighters said started as a dumpster fire and spread to The International School.
The private elementary school is a Spanish, Chinese and Japanese language immersion school, which had its first day of school Tuesday.
Crews knocked down the fire, but not before the school's electrical system was damaged. The school's sprinkler system helped crews during the fire as it switched on.
The school's power was shut off as PF&R tried to protect the building's interior, but water from fighting the fire likely damaged some equipment and school materials.
As of 5:30 a.m., the cause of the fire was not known but no injuries had been reported.
Preschool was canceled for the day, but kindergarten through fifth grade classes were scheduled to go on as normal.
The International School was founded in 1990 and has 500 students enrolled.
Copyright 2024 by Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
