Fire destroys 6 Ilocos Norte classrooms after Christmas party

Fire (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ JOVIC YEE)

CURRIMAO, Ilocos Norte — Fire struck the Currimao National High School on Tuesday night (Dec. 20) following a school Christmas party.

The fire broke out at the administration building past 7 p.m., and destroyed six rooms of the school, teacher Rolly Bernardo said.

Earlier, high school students and teachers gathered to exchange gifts, play parlor games and participate in songs and dances.

Responding firefighters from nearby Paoay town have not yet determined what triggered the blaze, which spread to the offices of the principal and the cashier, the supply office, the library, the computer laboratory and the science building.

Currimao town, a fourth class coastal town of Ilocos Norte, has no fire station. No one was hurt.

School authorities here lamented the loss of all pertinent documents including the students’ class cards.

The school said the fire gutted 49 newly acquired computers, two laptops, projectors, a television set at the computer laboratory and at the Grade 7 classroom.

Araceli Pastor, Ilocos Norte Schools Division superintendent, said renovations had just been completed at the Currimao National High School, including newly constructed classrooms for the implementation of its K-12 program.  SFM