More than a month after flames tore through part of a Wilmington, Del. school auditorium, the fire was ruled an arson Thursday.
Students and staff were evacuated when a three-alarm fire broke out at the Wilmington Friends school on April 17. Classes were canceled for four days. And fire damage was estimated at one million dollars.
On Thursday, the state Fire Marshal's Office officially declared that the fire was intentionally started.
The fire started in the auditorium just after 12:30 p.m. Some students thought it was a fire drill.
"Then we see a lot of dark smoke... So the teachers started yelling, 'Move to the other side of the street!'" said Gray Flannigan.
Firefighters were pulled out of the building at one point because they feared the roof could collapse. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries. By 4 p.m. the fire was under control.
Officials were asking for the public's help to find the person or persons responsible for setting the blaze. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fire Marshal's New Castle Division at (302) 323-5375 or call Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
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Wilmington Friends was founded as a Quaker school in 1748 and serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
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