Teachers and volunteers have been lending a hand this weekend to help clean up the only school in Bella Bella, after police say a man broke in on Thursday night and caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
School librarian Dora Hopkins has been spending hours wiping fire retardant off each book in the library. She said she was sickened by what happened.
“I felt nauseated and I couldn’t believe the damage that he did,” she said. “It just felt so good to be back, and then a day later, come in, and everything is just strewn apart. But it’s looking good, we’ve had a lot of volunteers and a lot of help.”
The school has been under construction for the past year and was only a short time away from completion.
The school houses students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. There are 170 students at the school, with 56 staff members.
Police say after the man broke in, he smashed TVs, computers, and windows both inside and outside. He also dumped paint on the floors and the computers.
Police do have video surveillance of a young man wearing a hoodie entering the school building overnight on Friday, but have not released any further details.
This community has been through a lot recently. In early July a fire destroyed the town’s only grocery store, library, and post office. Three girls were arrested in connection to the arson, and a temporary grocery store has now been set up for residents.
Anyone with information is asked to call Bella Bella RCMP at (250) 957-2388.
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