Crews assess damage from Pinedale Elementary fire; RCPD investigates
Rapid City Fire and Police Departments continue to investigate a fire that broke out on Sunday afternoon at Pinedale Elementary.
Authorities believe the fire started on the roof near a skylight inside a boy's bathroom just before 3 p.m. The skylight melted and collapsed into the bathroom, shattering a toilet. Fire crews had to cut a hole in the roof in order to gain access to the attic and fully extinguish the fire.
Facilities Services Manager Kumar Veluswamy says two or three kids were discovered on security cameras to be playing outside, but there is uncertainty as to whether the children were involved. The security video footage has been turned over to police.
The school sustained a lot of smoke damage, as well as the roof. The Rapid City Fire Department returned to the school Monday to assess the damage. Veluswamy said they may need to reconstruct approximately 1,000 square feet of roofing along with the structure and the areas that sustained damage, but it will not delay school starting.
The first day of school is scheduled for August 24.
