GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Waianae High School history teacher Kathy Yamamoto inspected the neighboring classroom to hers yesterday following the blaze that gutted two classrooms and damaged two others on Thursday.
Waianae High staff
pick up after fireInvestigators find no early signs
of foul play in the Thursday blaze
Fire investigators examined electrical outlets as Waianae High School staff tried to pick out anything usable from the blackened shells of what once were busy classrooms full of ninth-graders.
"Everyone has pulled together," said ninth-grade teacher Kathy Yamamoto, who joined her colleagues helping clean up after a fire consumed most of the second floor of their building. "We want life to go on as normal when the kids come back on Monday."
There were no early indications of foul play in the blaze that tore through the second floor of U Building on April Fools' Day, in the midst of spring break. Two classrooms were completely gutted, another was badly burned and a fourth had smoke damage.
In all, 120 ninth-graders were displaced. Vice Principal Ryan Oshita, sweat beading on his forehead after helping haul salvaged furniture, said he expects it will take a year to restore the building and its roof. Starting Monday, most students will have their classes in the library, where the staff has set up rows of chairs and tables in clusters for them.
Fire Capt. Emmit Kane said the preliminary damage estimate is $750,000. An insurance adjuster on the scene said he expected the final toll to be much higher. Kane said there were no obvious indications that the fire was set.
"Generally speaking, in school fires, when it's suspicious, you'll find broken glass or broken windows or indication of tampering with locks or even graffiti left behind," Kane said. "In this case the rooms were secured."
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Honolulu Fire Department investigator Terio Bumanglag and expert David Karlin inspected an electrical outlet yesterday, looking for what might have caused Thursday's blaze at Waianae High School.
Inspectors said it appeared that the fire started from an electrical outlet in one of the classrooms. In the last two years, there have been 35 fires reported at schools, with the most damaging being a $145,000 blaze at Mililani High School in January 2002, Kane said.
Along with treasured photos of students that teachers had collected over the years, the fire at Waianae High destroyed nearly 20 computers and hundreds of textbooks, including 150 new algebra texts.
"They had new computers, TVs, VCRs," Oshita said, pointing into one classroom. "This is a brand-new TV right here, and it's all melted. The algebra textbooks had just been delivered before the break, and they were all stacked at the door."
But he and his colleagues emphasized the positive.
"Thank goodness it was during the break and not during school, so no one was hurt," said Kervin Oshima, a history teacher.
"It's a good thing it happened to all experienced teachers," added math teacher Kevin Nakamoto. "Imagine if you were just starting out and saw all your lesson plans go up in smoke."
The staff seemed almost upbeat as they made a plea for help from the community.
"We are accepting any donations," Yamamoto said.
To make a donation, call Ryan Oshita at the school at 697-7017.
