Investigations into the cause of the fire that destroyed Parkcrest Elementary School on Sept. 5, 2019 are now complete.

A report summarising the investigations, conclusions and recommended actions was presented to the School District No. 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) Board of Education Monday evening. Kamloops Fire and Rescue (KFR) Chief Mike Adams was at the regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the findings.

The cause of the fire was undetermined due to the extensive damage and the instability of the scene once the fire had burned out. Investigations by KFR, Fire Pro Investigator, and the RCMP determined the fire started somewhere in the walls or in a concealed space between the drop ceiling and roof above four classrooms on the west side of the building.

The fire alarm in the school worked as expected, alerting the three staff members in the building before the smell of smoke or signs of fire were detected.

Superintendent of Schools Alison Sidow told trustees that a staff member assumed the alarm was false and tried to reset the panel, but it would not reset, Staff then evacuated and called 911. It is estimated the attempt to reset the alarm may have resulted in a loss in KFR’s response time of three minutes and 46 seconds.

“In the world of fire investigation, I’m told, that is a significant amount of time, enough time that the fire can gain some traction,” Sidow said, adding a recommendation to include annually reviewing with staff the use of fire panels and alarm systems is a priority.

“The result of the fire was devastating for students, teachers, and parents and we understand that events like this can create anxiety in the community about the safety of older schools in the district,” Chief Adam said. “The School District has done an exceptional job at maintaining and testing its fire detection systems, as well as regularly practicing safe evacuation procedures with students and staff.”

There was no evidence of foul play. 

During the investigation process Superintendent Sidow became aware of three previous minor incidents involving smoke at Parkcrest in 2015. Although KFR determined these incidents were not connected to fire in Sept. 2019, KFR has recommended SD73 review and strengthen incident reporting processes, including updating criteria for notification to District administration.

Other recommendations from the report include more meetings between the district and KFR to ensure KFR has up-to-date site maps of all SD73 facilities, and the installation of lock boxes at all sites so emergency personnel can enter schools if there is no one on site, as well as  continued upgrading of sprinkler systems throughout the district.

Although a sprinkler system may have saved 20 per cent of the school, Chief Adams believes the outcome would likely have been the same, and demolition of the entire structure would still have been necessary.

Sprinkler systems are currently in 40 of the district's 60 buildings. Plans are in place to install these systems in the remaining buildings, but the budget priorities must be balanced between new roofing and flooring.

Each year the district receives $3.5 million in grants for facilities projects for things like roofing, flooring and water systems. The next sprinkler system installation is planned for Kay Bingham Elementary at a cost of nearly $350,000.

“It’s rare for a community to lose a school to fire, and the Parkcrest fire can serve as a reminder to all of us of the importance of regularly practising safe evacuation procedures with students and staff,” Sidow said. “Hopefully the fire will also remind families and our broader community to have smoke detectors and fire safety plans for their homes.”  

Adams is confident in SD73’s commitment to supporting safe schools, noting that each school is inspected annually and practises fire evacuation up to six times a year.