Investigators probe rubble at school

Thursday, July 7, 2005 | 10:54 a.m.

City and federal investigators today will begin searching the charred rubble of the Roy Martin Middle School gymnasium to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed the building Tuesday.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue will be assisted by the National Response Team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Clark County School Police.

Authorities spent Wednesday studying blueprints, taking witness statements, and moving equipment to prepare for the investigation, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said in a statement.

The entire downtown school, at Stewart Avenue and 28th Street, is off limits as investigators begin their work.

Szymanski said there is no indication to the cause of the fire and that a damage estimate will be provided by the school district when the investigation is complete.

The fire department received a call of children playing with fireworks in the area of the school around the time of the fire, though no link between the call and the fire's cause have been established.

The school's gymnasium was completely destroyed in the fire, which sent flames shooting above the school and caused the collapse of the gymnasium ceiling. The rest of the school was reported largely undamaged.

The school, built in 1959, was among the valley's oldest. The gym did not have sprinkler systems, which were not required at the time of its construction.

Nobody was injured in the fire. An adjoining city pool was safely evacuated.

The ATF team generally assists with investigations at scenes of significant arson or explosive incidents, the agency said in a release. The team consists of forensic investigators, engineers, chemical-detecting dogs, and others.