PINE BLUFF -- Two classrooms are scheduled to reopen at Dollarway High School next month after a blaze was intentionally set at the school on Dec. 4.
No arrests have been made and no one was injured in last month's fire, which was first discovered about 5:45 a.m. by a custodian, Dollarway School District spokesman Tameka White said. Damage totaled more than $58,000 and was mostly from smoke and water, although several computers and a couple of tables were destroyed.
The fire started after someone broke into the school and piled books on a stove in the home economics room, then turned it on, White said. The Pine Bluff Police Department and the Fire and Emergency Services Department are investigating the blaze.
Lt. Randy Compton with the Pine Bluff Fire Marshal's Office said there have been few leads in the case.
"Right now, we don't have anything new to report," Compton said Friday afternoon.
Classes were held as scheduled the day after the fire, but students who would have used classrooms near the home economics room were moved to other areas of the school because of the lingering smoke smell, White said.
District officials say they are using the fire as a teaching tool for high school students, letting them know that taking care of their campus has a great impact on the community. The principal's cabinet, made up of 10 students who are chosen each year to serve based on their exemplary discipline and academic records, is leading the charge.
"They had a lunch meeting with [Dollarway High School Principal Arnold Robertson] and decided they wanted to help beautify the campus and the rooms that were damaged," White said.
"We have applied for a grant, and the students have been working with a local architect, which has been really great for them. They are learning about architecture, engineering, budgeting and other skills."
Robertson was in staff developmental meetings last week and unavailable for comment.
Since the fire, White said the district is re-evaluating its security system, including cameras, and encouraging students that they can report information anonymously without fear of retribution.
"We have just been letting our students know that this campus is like their home," White said. "You expect others to treat your home well, and we encourage them and their classmates to treat the school the same way."
The December blaze isn't the first time Dollarway High School has been targeted by arsonists. In November 2003, two fires were set at the high school, one in a classroom, the other inside the principal's office. The fires, which were set after school hours, caused around $40,000 in damage, according to school officials at that time. No arrests were made, and no injuries were reported.
Ruthie Cannon, who lives a few blocks away from the school, said she is concerned because no one has been arrested.
"To think there are folks out there running around who think it's OK to set someone else's property on fire is scary," Cannon said. "It's happened three times already, so what's to stop it from happening again? Or at my house or anyone's house? It doesn't make you sleep well at night."
State Desk on 01/19/2015