CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A building on the campus of a southeast Charlotte school was destroyed by a three-alarm fire Monday night, officials said.
Charlotte firefighters responded to a fire at Charlotte Preparatory School on Boyce Road around 10 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. It took a team of over 60 firefighters about 90 minutes to get the fire under control.
Officials said Tuesday the fire caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage.
A video shared on Twitter by the Charlotte Fire Department showed the remnants of the Lower School building. Officials said no one was hurt during the fire. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and Mecklenburg EMS also responded to the school.
Charlotte Preparatory School offers pre-K through eighth-grade classes and has a decades-long history in south Charlotte.
According to school leaders, the Lower School housed kindergarten through third graders before it burned down.
Jack and his sister Caroline Maybry attended the school and joined families stopping by to view the remnants of the building.
“I’ve gone here my whole life and I never expected that this would ever happen and so [much] good stuff happened in that building and now it’s just not there anymore," Caroline Maybry said. "Half of my childhood just burned down.”
"I've had a lot of memories in that building," Jack Maybry said. "It's kind of hard to see it on the ground."
WCNC Charlotte confirmed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is assisting with the investigation along with firefighters and CMPD arson detectives.
A spokesperson says ATF had two certified fire investigators (CFIs) on the scene to assist Tuesday with specialized training in fire and arson investigations. The agency says it's fairly routine for CFIs to respond to a fire the size of the one at Charlotte Preparatory School.
A spokesman for Charlotte Fire said sprinklers weren't required when the school was built.
"It meets the required fire code," the spokesman said of the Lower School building. "There were no known violations."
A person who lives in the area told WCNC Charlotte he heard three bangs and then saw flames "as high as the tops of trees."
The Charlotte Fire Department said it's still investigating, but also received reports of explosion-like sounds.
In a statement to families, Head of School Chris Marblo thanked firefighters and investigators and said they hope to have temporary Lower School classrooms and offices open by the start of the school year.
He added that the school is being assisted by insurance, cleanup, and reconstruction companies.
"The damage to the lower school building is extensive, but as of now we see no significant damage to other buildings," Marblo said. "The loss of a building and its many memories is heartbreaking. But we will rebuild and will do so in ways that make our campus even better. And we will soon create new memories....You will also soon hear from our school counselors who will offer guidance as to how to talk about this incident with children. I always remember the advice of Fred Rogers at times like this: look for the helpers. We have many of them, and our school will come out of this even stronger."
All camps and activities are now canceled for the rest of the week.
“It’s like really scary, but it’ll get better," Caroline Maybry said. "They’re going to rebuild it and it will be good again.”
Officials haven't determined the cause of the fire at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call the Charlotte Fire Department immediately.
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