Students and staff were evacuated when a three-alarm fire broke out at a private school in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, classes were canceled for the remainder of the week and the fire damage was estimated at one million dollars.
"We were already outside and all we saw was smoke so we were really scared," said Jacob Morris, a student at the Wilmington Friends Middle/Upper School.
The fire started in the auditorium just after 12:30 p.m. at the school. 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. Firefighters were watching hot spots and making sure the walls were structurally sound.
School officials say there will be no class Wednesday for the Middle/Upper School. The Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating and say there is an estimated $1 million in damages to the school.
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One of the students told us she felt really bad for the drama students.
"Right now they're starting the school play this week, so that's where all the set is, so I'm really sad that they're not going to be able to do it," said Sophia Clark.
Wilmington Friends was founded as a Quaker school in 1748 and serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
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