Arson is cause of Wilmington Friends School Fire

The Delaware State Fire Marshal says the April 17th fire at the Wilmington Friends School was the work of an arsonist.

The fire destroyed a school auditorium, which was located away from the classrooms on the school campus. The fire quickly went to three alarms before being brought under control in an hour. No one was hurt during the fire, but damage was estimated at around one million dollars.  School officials at the time credited their planning during fire drills for the orderly dismissal of the students.  Classes were canceled for a few days after the fire.

The Fire Marshal’s office released a brief statement saying the investigation has now turned to finding those responsible for setting the fire.

The school is preparing for graduation on June 10th.

This is how people reacted to the fire when it broke out as described to WHYY/NewsWorks photographer, Gene Ashley.