Southwood Secondary School in Cambridge will remain closed for the rest of the week as officials investigate and assess the damage from a fire.
The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Tuesday in a second-floor men’s washroom and was immediately deemed suspicious.
The Office of the Fire Marshal investigated the fire Wednesday morning before turning the case over to police.
“They’ll be looking for any witnesses, anyone who saw anything suspicious in that area,” Staff Sgt. Dean Smith tells CTV News.
Staff and students were evacuated when fire alarms rang, and kept outside for the remainder of the school day.
An initial estimate pegged damage at $50,000, although superintendent Lila Read says that could change as school board officials have yet to see the second floor for themselves.
“We still don’t know the extent of the damage there,” she says.
“We expect that there will be smoke damage, soot, possibly some water damage. Beyond that, we don’t know.”
At this point, staff and students have not been allowed into the building to pick up personal items, but officials say the building remains locked and all items are safe.
No injuries were reported in the fire.
