More than 50 firefighters were on site at Sir Guy Carleton Elementary school Friday night battling a blaze that broke out in the attic of the East Vancouver school.
The entire area was covered in smoke as flames came through the roof.
Vancouver Police told Global News they have taken over the investigation as the fire has now been deemed suspicious.
However, it is still unknown what caused the fire.
Vancouver School District said in a statement there have been no reports of staff or students being on site when the fire started.
Crews were on the scene for several hours.
The extent of the damage is still unknown but Vancouver Fire Services Battalion Chief, Steve Duncan, said they are expecting the water damage to be extensive throughout the whole structure.
“The district will be assessing the school buildings over the next few days to determine whether or not students and staff can remain at Carleton for the start of school in September or whether they will need to be moved to another site,” read part of the statement from the Vancouver School Board.
Vancouver School Board Trustee Patti Bacchus said the board will work to ensure they are ready for the start of the school year.
“I know every effort will go into being ready for the opening of school in September,” Bacchus said. “This is clearly a devastating night for this community and everyone will be coming together.”
Carleton is one of the 12 schools that were being considered for potential closure due to budget cuts. The school board said it is too early to say if the fire will have any impact on the process.
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