Arson probe launched in Naperville school fire

A fire that caused more than $100,000 damage at Naperville's Scott Elementary School is being investigated as an arson, police said Monday.

Cmdr. Mike Anders said investigators have interviewed several students and staff members at the school at 500 Warwick Drive.

He said the initial probe was handled by a team of police officers and firefighters, but police took over once it was determined a crime was involved.

Anders said it's too soon to say what might happen if a student is found to be responsible for the fire. He said police have the option of pressing criminal charges if the student is 10 or older, but there's no guarantee that would happen.

Scott students and faculty had to be evacuated about 9:30 a.m. Friday after the fire began in the boys washroom and destroyed a toilet paper dispenser and stall partition.

No one was injured, but smoke spread throughout the building and caused extensive damage.

Crews from J.C. Restoration, Inc., worked with duct and carpet cleaners - at times involving as many as 107 people - throughout the weekend to repair the damage.

Almost the entire building was cleaned and restored before reopening to students Monday morning, Naperville Unit District 203 spokeswoman Melea Smith said. Damage estimates are still being compiled, but Smith said they are expected to exceed $100,000.

Students and faculty who were evacuated Friday spent the rest of the school day at Madison Junior High School. They were not allowed to take their coats or backpacks - all of which were tagged and cleaned over the weekend.

Smith said the coats and contents of' backpacks were returned to students Monday morning but it will take longer to return the backpacks.

She said district officials chose to have the items professionally cleaned so families wouldn't have to incur the expense and because of health concerns with people entering the building to retrieve belongings before it was safe to do so.

Warner Cruz, owner of Rolling Meadows-based J.C. Restoration, said his company was called in by Hygieneering Inc., the school district's environmental consulting firm. That company took air samples Friday night to ensure it was safe to work.

Cruz said cleaning crews arrived to find debris and strong odors throughout the building. He said they cleaned virtually every surface in the school, including ducts and carpets.

Some computers, servers and laptops were taken from the site for cleaning but should be returned by Wednesday. The school's computer lab was up and running Monday.

Only one duct line, which runs through the school gym, remains to be cleaned and that work was scheduled Monday evening, Cruz said.

He praised school officials and restoration crews for their determination to reopen the school on time.

"It was a great group effort to make sure we could get the students back in school safely," he said.

In early October, third-graders at Scott participated in a Learn Not to Burn fire safety program through the Naperville Fire Department.

Smith said it will be up to Principal Nick Micensky to determine whether additional fire safety lessons are needed.

"I'm sure as we go forward there will be something we'll do to reinforce this message, although what kids went through is probably reinforcement enough right now," she said. "It was a little bit scary."

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