Arson is suspected in an April 8 fire that caused extensive damage to a third of the two-story, 312,000-square-foot Howell (Mich.) High School, including the multimedia center and 15 classrooms. No one was hurt in the blaze, and the school’s 2,400 students returned to classes April 10. Educators put the repair bill at around $500,000.
A janitor noticed billowing smoke inside the building when he arrived at 5 a.m. Authorities found evidence that a door near the cafeteria had been forced open and at least a gallon of flammable linseed oil had been poured onto carpets and books to start a series of fires. Books on anger management and psychology were specifically scorched. Sprinkler systems, capable of putting out 30-35 gallons of water a minute, doused computers and soaked the multimedia center’s drop ceilings and carpets. The natural gas jets in all the science labs were also turned on.
“A large measure of the damage was from water,” Lynn Parrish, associate superintendent of the Howell School District, told the April 9 Detroit News. “It’s extremely disheartening to see.”
A 15-year-old Howell freshman was arrested April 10 in connection with the incident. He faces criminal charges punishable by six years in a juvenile facility, or up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted as an adult.
Posted April 15, 2002.