Damage from the July 25 fire at Westbrook High School is still being assessed, with water damage from sprinklers the biggest concern, according to Superintendent Peter Lancia.
The fire started within an air conditioner unit in a third-floor classroom and was quickly contained by school sprinklers and multiple fire departments. While fire damage is minimal and the area is clear of the smoke smell, the water damage appears to be extensive and will likely require renovations in the room that had the fire, as well as in classrooms directly below it, including the City Council meeting room 114. A Monday council meeting scheduled at the high school was held at the Performing Arts Center due to the fire.
“The power is still not on in that section so we haven’t done a full inspection of the walls in terms of soot damage and things but it seems minimal,” Lancia said. “The water damage is pretty extensive in the art room itself as well as the rooms in that vertical column. It’s above our offices as well as 114, but it wasn’t a full wing on any of those floors.”
While still too soon to know costs and timelines, Lancia said, he foresees the rooms having all appliances replaced, the floorboards peeled back, carpeting taken out and more.
In the meantime, the school has already inspected its other air conditioner units.
“The unit was pretty old, we are looking at the whole building and potential code and power upgrades as a result of this. We want to prevent this from happening again. There may be some practical things we need to pay attention to, as well as some big picture upgrades we need to make throughout the building,” Lancia said.
At this time the school opening is unaffected, with officials planning to relocate classes if rooms are not fixed on time.
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