The former high school in Lakefield, Ont., currently under renovation, broke out in fire Monday night.
Shortly after 7 p.m., witnesses reported hearing a popping sound before the fire erupted in debris outside the building. When emergency crews arrived on the scene, a thick black plume of smoke could be seen in the air. Witnesses tell CHEX News the smoke has a foul smell like burnt rubber.
Fire crews continued to battle the blaze until around 10 p.m.
On Tuesday morning, Cathy Abraham, chairperson of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, told CHEX News that the fire was contained to debris in an area currently being demolished. She said there was no interior or structural damage to the building.
“We are just very grateful to the Selwyn fire department for their quick response,” she said.
The building housed Lakefield District Secondary School which was closed last year. The building is now being renovated for an elementary school and a daycare. It was slated to open this month, but construction delays have pushed the opening to December.
Abraham says the fire shouldn’t impact that target date.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.