Spontaneous combustion caused fire at Vancouver Island school, officials say
Officials say cooking oil, heat and poor ventilation led to damaging fire
Officials say the cause of a fire at Carihi Secondary in Campbell River, B.C. was the result of spontaneous combustion.
In an online update, the school district says the city's fire department determined that the blaze — which caused extensive damage and shut the school down for more than a week — was the result of a "reaction between cooking oils on fabrics, heat after laundering, and inadequate ventilation."
"While such an occurrence is rare, as a learning organization we will take this as an opportunity to review and further reinforce safe handling and laundering practices to help prevent similar incidents in the future," the online statement says.
Fire officials had previously said they believed the fire started in the school's kitchen area, and the damage from the flames and smoke spread to the gym, mezzanine, drama area and some classrooms in the school's B-wing.
Crews from multiple fire halls in and around the Vancouver Island city were called to the fire at around 11 p.m. PT on Nov. 21, according to the Campbell River Fire Department.
The school had to be closed to students until Dec. 2, and several classes were moved to another building elsewhere in the city.
Supertintendent Geoff Manning says the damage was extensive and will need long-term fixes that can't be addressed until after the school year.
Carihi Secondary School is one of two high schools in the city of about 35,000 people, located more than 220 kilometres north of Victoria on Vancouver Island's east coast.