Fire closes high school in Campbell River, B.C., through at least Monday, school district says

More than 1,000 students in Campbell River, B.C., are uncertain about what comes next after a fire broke out at their high school Thursday night.

Monday classes at Carihi High have been cancelled, superintendent Geoff Manning said, as crews spent Friday monitoring and cleaning up after the fire.

"We have teams now working on all the possibilities for students," he said, saying the district would be sharing updates on its website throughout the weekend as information became available.

Crews from multiple fire halls in and around the Vancouver Island city were called to the flames at around 11 p.m. PT on Thursday, according to the Campbell River Fire Department.

"Due to the prompt response of the City of Campbell River, Oyster River, and Courtenay fire departments, the fire was contained to the west side of the school," said Campbell River Fire Chief Dan Verdun in a statement issued Friday morning. 

"We are working to assess the building and thank all Campbell River residents, particularly the students and staff at Carihi, for their patience."

Verdun told CHEK News the fire likely started in a kitchen area of the school, which is one of two high schools in the city of about 35,000 people, located about 225 kilometres northwest of Victoria on Vancouver Island's east coast.

No injuries have been reported.

In an interview with CBC All Points West host Jason D'Souza, Manning asked for "patience as we try to problem solve," saying ideas being explored include having classes in shifts or moving classes online, but said, "We're still in the very early stages."

Manning said the damage from the fire appeared to be limited to the building's 'A-wing,' which houses the school's multi-purpose room, kitchen and band area, with some smoke damage in 'B-wing' but "the fire doors worked exactly as they were supposed to," preventing further spread of flames.