Greensboro firefighters tackled a third-alarm fire that broke out at a vacant elementary school building that had already been slated for demolition.
October 08, 2021 – By Jamie Biggs – By Jamie Biggs
Oct. 7—GREENSBORO, NC — Smoke poured from the roof of Peeler Open Elementary on Thursday afternoon, the aftermath of a structure fire that’s likely to hasten the vacant school’s demolition, according to Michelle Reed, chief operating officer for Guilford County Schools.
At about noon Thursday, the Greensboro Fire Department responded to the fire at 2200 Randall St., said Fire Chief Jim Robinson.
“We arrived to find heavy smoke showing from the building,” Robinson said.
About 70 firefighters took part in extinguishing the blaze, which did not result in any injuries.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Robinson said.
Robinson indicated there is no reason to believe the fire, confined to one building, was intentionally set by someone inside the building.
“We had a tough time accessing (the building) just due to the boarded up windows. All the doors were locked,” Robinson said.
Robinson said firefighters entered the school through “auxiliary means” and keys that were provided to them.
The school has been vacant since 2018, when it and Hampton Elementary were damaged and closed by a tornado that devastated east Greensboro.
Under Guilford County’s $300 million 2020 capital bond projects, a new Hampton-Peeler School will be constructed at the Peeler site.
Thursday’s fire shouldn’t hinder that plan.
“We are actually going to be accelerating the demolition of the school, which was previously slated for 2022,” Reed said.
That demolition may take place within the next couple of weeks, according to Reed.
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