Detroit public school to remain closed after fire

DETROIT — A fire raged through a public school on Detroit's west side early Tuesday, causing serious damage to the upper floors and roof of one building, officials said.

The blaze at Paul Robeson Academy started about 4 a.m., and firefighters were still battling it hours later. Aerial ladders extended from fire trucks to shoot water onto the roof of the five-floor structure.

District emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said the damage to the building was "devastating." Fire officials have not commented on a possible cause of the blaze. The burning building houses classrooms for elementary and middle school students.

"I'm just so happy and glad no one was inside the school and injured," Bobb said after reviewing the damage.

The roof was very charred, but the extent of the damage to the 104-year-old establishment was not immediately clear.

A smaller building containing classrooms for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students was not damaged by the blaze. Nevertheless, the entire school likely will remain closed the rest of the week, Bobb said.

"We have fumes. We're going to make sure that all of the safety precautions are taken into consideration before we even consider opening the smaller building," he said. "We want to make doubly sure we are not going to put children at risk."

Bobb said the district would relocate the students to another school in the district.

"We're going to look at moving those students to Thurgood Marshall (Elementary) which is directly in sight," Bobb said. "We're trying to keep everyone together in this neighborhood."

Detroit has 141 schools. The 74,000-student district is fighting through a financial crisis and budget deficit of about $327 million. Enrollment continues to plummet due to population flight from the city, causing the district to lose millions of dollars in per pupil funding from the state.

Bobb has ordered dozens of schools to be closed and has offered a number up to charter school operators as a way to save money and bring in revenue.

The 660-student Paul Robeson Academy is named after the famed black actor, singer and social activist. It educates students through eighth-grade. To attend, students must carry a grade point average of 2.5, according to the district's website.

Built in 1907, the structure that currently houses Robeson Academy at one time was an orphanage for boys known as the St. Francis Home of Orphans.