There were no serious injuries in the fire, which started at around 9:45 p.m., according to a November 24 San Francisco Chronicle report. About 90 firefighters fought the blaze through the night. One firefighter was treated and released from a local hospital for a stress-related injury.
Officials said it was too early to determine if the fire was the result of accident or arson. “Most likely it started from the interior,” San Jose Fire Department Captain Karen Kepler Allyn told the Chronicle. “Anytime there’s a school fire, there’s some suspicion . . . but those things usually start from the outside.”
The school completed a $4-million school renovation last summer but was not equipped with fire sprinklers. The nearly 500 Gardner School K–5 students were transferred to other nearby schools.
Posted November 26, 2003.