The former Lebanon Catholic school building was heavily damaged by fire early Sunday morning, according to photos shared on social media by the Lebanon City Fire Department.
Lebanon Fire Commissioner Duane Trautman told lebtown.com that the immediate cause of the fire, which was first reported at 3:40 a.m., was vandalism. Several fires had previously occurred at the building in relation to activity by vandals, according to Trautman.
The school has been abandoned since the Diocese of Harrisburg announced in 2020 that it would be closing Lebanon Catholic due to declining enrollment and financial distress.
Community concern has grown about the state of disrepair that the diocese has allowed the structure and grounds to fall into, the Lebanon Daily News wrote earlier this year.
The diocese’s agreement to sell the property to a housing developer was delayed amidst zoning issues, lebtown.com reported, with the property officially changing hands last month to the company that plans to build 326 apartments on the site.