MOUNT FOREST – Students will not be returning to their school after a fire caused up to $5 million in damages.
A fire broke out early Thursday morning at St. Mary Catholic School in Mount Forest at 6:15 a.m. Flames were visible coming through the roof when first responders arrived. No one was at the school during the blaze and no injuries were reported.
The fire was not considered suspicious.
Wellington North Fire Service deputy chief Callise Loos said in an email on Friday it was an electrical fire that started in the electrical room. The latest damage estimate was between $4 million and $5 million.
The school was closed on Thursday because of the fire and Friday was a PD day. A timeline for students to return to the school is not known and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) is still working on a plan to resume in-person learning for the kindergarten to Grade 8 school.
In an email statement, WCDSB director of education Michael Glazier said the school has extensive smoke, fire and water damage.
“The school will require repair and restoration and will not be available to our students while this is being completed,” he said. “The timeline for this work is undetermined at this point but we will continue to share updates with our school community when the information becomes available.”
He said the board is working to secure temporary accommodations for the students to resume in-person learning but it will take time to prepare.
Parents have been asked to prepare care arrangements for their children next week and staff are preparing to provide technology for families to provide online learning.
“We have been grateful for the patience and understanding of our parent community as we respond to this issue and we are grateful for the support members in our community have shared with our school community,” Glazier said.
