EAST LOS ANGELES : Arson Suspected at Belvedere Jr. High
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Officials suspect arson in a fire that gutted four math classrooms and damaged two other rooms and the cafeteria at Belvedere Junior High School last week. The school had been closed for the holidays.
The fire caused $350,000 in damage to the building and its contents, said Inspector Jack Pritchard, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The department is seeking witnesses to the blaze, he said.
The two-story building at 312 N. Record Ave. is one of the oldest schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and with 2,000 students, is the district’s largest junior high, said district spokeswoman Diana Munatones.
About 80 firefighters responded to the Monday afternoon fire and had it under control within 30 minutes, Pritchard said. It apparently started in upstairs classrooms.
“Being that it was in the daytime, (witnesses) called right away,” Pritchard said.
Structural damage amounted to $250,000 and about $100,000 worth of equipment was lost, he said. Most of the cafeteria damage was from water.
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