The devastating Lulu Ross Elementary School fire is deemed accidental, caused by faulty wiring.
The October 25th fire resulted in the displacement of over 600 students, After its investigation, Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office now says it started because of a wiring issue involving a florescent light in a display case.
Combine that with a near 17 minute gap between the start of the fire and the alarm, and officials say you have a “one-in-a-million” situation for a destructive fire.
Deputy State Fire Marshal John Galaska.
“We see a lot of things that shouldn’t go wrong… go wrong. In reference to this one I was talking about the fire occurring in an
area that led a perfect path to the attic, that there was really no logical way to foresee that coming in daily operations.” he said.
Students are now attending class at Milford Middle School- and remain with their original classmates and teachers.
Ross Elementary principal Kimberly Webb says that was an important aspect of the move.
“The ability to keep our entire Ross family together is one of the key factors in what has allowed us to move this work forward in such a positive manner.” she said.
Webb adds that schooling will take place at the middle school for the foreseeable future, and there is currently no timeline in place for students returning to their own elementary school building.
The school has since launched their fire recovery webpage, which they say will serve as an update for future developments on decisions on the building's future.
They've also included a Supplies and Wishlist webpage for those looking to donate supplies to support and specific teacher, to those hoping to make a financial contribution to the school to aid in fire recovery.
