Contractor’s Blow Torch Starts $2M Fire at D.C. School

Interim D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson says damage to a northwest Washington school is severe after a three-alarm fire, and plans are being made to move students elsewhere when they return in January.

D.C. Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer says more than 150 firefighters were called to the Takoma Educational Center on Wednesday morning. They found heavy fire coming from the roof.

Piringer says one firefighter sustained a minor hand injury. He said the blaze, which caused more than $2 million in damage, was caused by the improper use of a torch by a crew working on the roof.

School was closed for the holidays, and only a few staff members were inside.

Henderson says there is major smoke and water damage at the building.

The school serves students in preschool through 8th grade