7/31/08

Local heroes help contain school arson fire

by Beckye Randall

A 12-year-old boy will be charged with first degree arson in connection with a July 23 fire at Lakewood Elementary School.

The youth confessed to starting the fire outside the school building and was transported to Denny Youth Justice Center.

Emergency crews responding to the fire at Lakewood Elementary School could have had a much bigger battle on their hands without the actions of five women who reacted quickly to the first signs of smoke at the school.

The moms were at the nearby Lakewood High School football field watching their sons’ practice session when they noticed black smoke coming from the elementary school.

Tracy Melton and Terri Virdell, who were walking along the track surrounding the football field, first heard popping sounds. They were joined in a race to the school by Dawn Taylor, Jamie Miller and Angela Ramirez. Along the way, the moms called 911 to report the fire, then began to break windows to reach fire extinguishers inside classrooms. Their goal was to keep the flames from reaching the roof until firefighters arrived.

Several neighbors also played key roles in keeping the fire from spreading, including Art Cooper and Jim Venturo, both of whom live near the school. One of the neighbors supplied the first fire extinguisher put into use.

Venturo, an investigator with the Everett Fire Department who lives about 100 yards from the school, rode his bike over when he saw black smoke. He pointed out the need for sprinklers on the exterior of some buildings, which would have limited the damage in this case.

“This fire could have been much worse and was minutes away from being a large-scale attic fire with much more loss,” said Stephanie Price, the fire district’s public information officer.

The part of the building ravaged by fire was built in 2005, part of a $2.3 million addition to the school. It’s estimated the fire, which has been ruled an arson, caused $150,000 in damage.

It’s likely that at least two of the classrooms will be unavailable for use this fall, said Fred Owyen, the school district’s director of operations. Fortunately, a spare classroom and a portable building are available to house the displaced students.

The County Fire Marshal determined that the fire was intentionally set, probably starting in some combustible materials outside the school building.