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Massive Fire Tears through Historic Detroit School
COREY WILLIAMS
Associated Press
DETROIT — A nearly century-old Detroit school building suffered heavy fire damage to its roof and water damage on lower floors after an early morning blaze raced through attic space and across the top floor.
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Fire officials have yet to release a cause of Tuesday's blaze at Paul Robeson/Malcolm X Academy and no financial losses have been determined, according to district emergency financial manager Robert Bobb.
The fire at the west side school started about 4 a.m. and kept firefighters busy for the next several hours. Aerial ladders extended from fire trucks to shoot water onto the roof of the five-floor structure.
"This is a very tragic event for us," Bobb told reporters later. "We're working extremely hard to make sure education continues for our students."
Bobb said the building is 93 years old.
It once housed the St. Francis Home for Boys orphanage, which moved to the 19-acre site in 1917, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit web site. The plot had been donated by auto pioneer Henry Ford.
It was not immediately known when Detroit Schools acquired the building and property.
The building includes a basement and attic and in recent years was home to Paul Robeson Academy. Students from Malcolm X Academy moved into the building after the district closed their school last year, Bobb said.
The academy houses classrooms for 435 students in first through eighth grades. Another 173 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students had their classes in a smaller building on the campus. The smaller building was not damaged by the fire.
"I'm just so happy and glad no one was inside the school and injured," Bobb said earlier Tuesday after reviewing the damage.
The older students, teachers and support staff will be moved to 16 classrooms at 365-student Thurgood Marshall Elementary, two blocks away. Classes for the academy students will resume Friday. They also will complete the academic year at Marshall.
Officials are scouring through other district schools for books, desks and chairs to replace those destroyed or damaged in the fire.
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will go back to class Monday at their building on the academy's campus.
Stephanie Beal has one child in pre-kindergarten at the school and three others who now will move over to Marshall.
She rushed to the academy about 5 a.m. Tuesday after getting a phone call from a relative that the school was burning
"The top of the roof was just in flames. It was out of control," Beal said. "It was an excellent school. We had programs for the kids and kept them busy."
To attend, students must carry a grade point average of 2.5, according to the district's website.
The academy is named after two black icons. Paul Robeson was a famed black actor, singer and social activist. Malcolm X was a former leader of the Nation of Islam.
The school curriculum was African-centered, Beal said.
Detroit has 141 schools. The 74,000-student district is fighting through a financial crisis and budget deficit of about $327 million. Enrollment continues to plummet due to population flight from the city, causing the district to lose millions of dollars in per pupil funding from the state.
Bobb has ordered dozens of schools to be closed and has offered a number up to charter school operators as a way to save money and bring in revenue.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press
DETROIT — A nearly century-old Detroit school building suffered heavy fire damage to its roof and water damage on lower floors after an early morning blaze raced through attic space and across the top floor.
Related
- WDIV: Historic Detroit School Ravaged by Fire
- The Detroit News: Firefighters Battle Blaze at Robeson Academy
- WJBK: Fire Rips Through Robeson Academy
Fire officials have yet to release a cause of Tuesday's blaze at Paul Robeson/Malcolm X Academy and no financial losses have been determined, according to district emergency financial manager Robert Bobb.
The fire at the west side school started about 4 a.m. and kept firefighters busy for the next several hours. Aerial ladders extended from fire trucks to shoot water onto the roof of the five-floor structure.
"This is a very tragic event for us," Bobb told reporters later. "We're working extremely hard to make sure education continues for our students."
Bobb said the building is 93 years old.
It once housed the St. Francis Home for Boys orphanage, which moved to the 19-acre site in 1917, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit web site. The plot had been donated by auto pioneer Henry Ford.
It was not immediately known when Detroit Schools acquired the building and property.
The building includes a basement and attic and in recent years was home to Paul Robeson Academy. Students from Malcolm X Academy moved into the building after the district closed their school last year, Bobb said.
The academy houses classrooms for 435 students in first through eighth grades. Another 173 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students had their classes in a smaller building on the campus. The smaller building was not damaged by the fire.
"I'm just so happy and glad no one was inside the school and injured," Bobb said earlier Tuesday after reviewing the damage.
The older students, teachers and support staff will be moved to 16 classrooms at 365-student Thurgood Marshall Elementary, two blocks away. Classes for the academy students will resume Friday. They also will complete the academic year at Marshall.
Officials are scouring through other district schools for books, desks and chairs to replace those destroyed or damaged in the fire.
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will go back to class Monday at their building on the academy's campus.
Stephanie Beal has one child in pre-kindergarten at the school and three others who now will move over to Marshall.
She rushed to the academy about 5 a.m. Tuesday after getting a phone call from a relative that the school was burning
"The top of the roof was just in flames. It was out of control," Beal said. "It was an excellent school. We had programs for the kids and kept them busy."
To attend, students must carry a grade point average of 2.5, according to the district's website.
The academy is named after two black icons. Paul Robeson was a famed black actor, singer and social activist. Malcolm X was a former leader of the Nation of Islam.
The school curriculum was African-centered, Beal said.
Detroit has 141 schools. The 74,000-student district is fighting through a financial crisis and budget deficit of about $327 million. Enrollment continues to plummet due to population flight from the city, causing the district to lose millions of dollars in per pupil funding from the state.
Bobb has ordered dozens of schools to be closed and has offered a number up to charter school operators as a way to save money and bring in revenue.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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