PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A fire on Tuesday caused major damage to a Catholic school in Chestnut Hill and sent a firefighter to the hospital with a minor injury. According to officials, all the students are accounted for.
It took about two hours for firefighters to get the blaze at Our Mother of Consolation parish school under control. School officials are now working to move classes to remote learning.
Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said about 120 people worked to douse the three-alarm fire. Flames shot out of the school’s roof.
“It quickly became apparent that the fire was deeply embedded in the building, so we had to evacuate the building to [save] our members from the collapsing structural components,” Thiel said.
“It was a big fire. I mean, the flames were probably 30, 40 feet in the air,” said Scott Yetter, who lives nearby. He said the church and school are focal points of the community.
All students have been accounted for, and one firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Principal Patricia Sheetz said the damage is so extensive that students and staff will not be able to return to the building for the rest of the school year. The school is moving to remote learning as soon as possible.
“We’re celebrating our 160 years this year. And this is really sad and unfortunate, but we will make sure that our students are taken care of,” Sheetz said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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