Updated: Mon Mar. 03 2008 07:39:53 ctvbc.ca
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Vancouver's only one-room schoolhouse was gutted early Sunday morning by what firefighters are now calling a "suspicious" fire.
Flames were spotted in a dumpster next to Sir Guy Carleton Elementary just after midnight on Monday, and within minutes, flames and smoke were pouring out of the school's attic windows.
Six fire trucks and 25 firefighters battled the blaze for some two hours, at one point climbing a step ladder to push a hose through a window to fight the flames.
"It was a stubborn one," said one fireman.
By 2:30 a.m., the wood-frame building -- built in 1896 as Vancouver's only one room schoolhouse -- had been badly damaged, with fire and water damage in many parts of the building.
A store of children's artwork in the attic was one of the valuable things that was destroyed.
Nearly 40 students used the room as kindergarten students and they won't be at school tomorrow.
School officials said they weren't sure the building could be used again this year.
Roy Berry woke up when he heard windows breaking. He told CTV News that he knows the school well.
"A lot of people don't realize the historical value," he said. "We do because we've been here for so long and we've been watching out for it."
The school is one of Vancouver's original schools, and built in 1896. Several more buildings have been added since, and the small one-room school house now houses two kindergarten classes.
David Gibson's mother drove out to have a look for himself. His mother went to the school in 1920.
"This is an important structure and there's a lot of memories for this city and the people who grew up in it," he said.
The school board is waiting for more information about insurance on the building.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and investigators say it's too early to tell if the building is a complete loss.
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