King 5 News on AHS Fire

Building at Aberdeen High School destroyed by fire

Classes to be closed through Wednesday

01/06/2002

 ABERDEEN - A fire destroyed part of Aberdeen High School early Sunday, gutting its original classroom building.

There were no injuries.

The blaze was reported early Sunday morning, just after midnight.

Firefighters from Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Montesano and Grays Harbor battled the blaze. Crews contained the fire to just one of the school's buildings and kept the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings north of downtown Aberdeen.

“They went in the front doors right over here and it started collapsing around them so they came right back out. Then it was just defensive, in saving the Phelps building right over here,” said firefighter, Mike Prall.

The red brick building is named in honor of John M. Weatherwax, an early homesteader along the Wishkah and Chehalis rivers. He was a pioneer lumber man and, with Samuel Benn, platted much of downtown Aberdeen. J.M. Weatherwax died in 1896. Four of his descendants served in later years on the Aberdeen School Board. The Weatherwax building was opened in 1909.

The building housed 20 classrooms, the library and counselor's offices.

The high school has about 1,000 students. The school board met Sunday and declared a state of emergency. Classes will be closed through at least Wednesday. Because the school's alarm system was damaged during the fire, school personnel will be posted at the school 24 hours a day to watch for new flare-ups.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.