Fire damages Elgin middle school, but classes a go today

A fire damaged Elgin's Larsen Middle School on Saturday, but authorities said the school could be cleaned up and ready for students today.

The kitchen was damaged, however, and will be closed for at least a week, Elgin Area School District U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said. Even so, food still will be available to students who usually buy lunch, he said.

"We will make sure that food is brought in," Sanders said.

The blaze was contained to the basement of the school at 665 Dundee Ave., but much of the building suffered smoke damage, Elgin Fire Batallion Chief Terry Bruce said.

A loss estimate was not available Saturday night. The school was empty when the fire started, and no firefighters were hurt.

The blaze was discovered about 6:20 p.m. by a passer-by who saw the school's emergency strobe lights flashing and heard an alarm, Bruce said.

Firefighters forced open a basement door to get to the blaze, which was caused by a malfunctioning water heater in a small room, Bruce said.

The fire spread to a hallway and the kitchen, Bruce said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire in about 30 minutes. Cleanup crews quickly responded and were aiming to get the campus ready for students Monday, Bruce said.

However, it wasn't clear late Saturday, if they'd be successful. District officials will call parents of Larsen students today to inform them if the school will be open as scheduled.

Information should also be available on the district Web site, u-46.org.

Although the cause of the blaze was apparent Saturday, fire officials are investigating why the flames didn't trigger an alarm system that should've automatically alerted the fire department, Bruce said.

Additionally, a hydrant at the school didn't work when firefighters opened it, officials said. Crews were able to get water from a different hydrant.