Charlotte Prep fire was ‘through the roof’ as first crews arrived at three-alarm blaze
Firefighters found a blaze already raging through the roof of Charlotte Preparatory School when they arrived late Monday at its lower school building on Boyce Road.
Crews were dispatched to the school around 10:10 p.m., according to emergency radio traffic obtained by The Charlotte Observer via Broadcastify. The blaze would eventually reach three-alarm status, destroy a building serving grades K-4 and result in millions of dollars in damages.
While the Charlotte Fire Department estimated damages at $2.5 million, the school says that number is too low and anticipates “the costs to be much higher.” No one was reported injured.
The first crews arrived at the fire minutes after the dispatch call. They were met with a large, orange blaze burning through the building.
“We got heavy fire through the roof,” an unidentified firefighter said on radio traffic obtained via Broadcastify.
There was a report of structural collapse on the back side of the building minutes after crews arrived.
By 10:20 p.m., the fire reached three-alarm status, according to radio traffic.
The bulk of the fire was on the left side of the building. At one stage of the firefight, a firefighter in radio traffic said he suspected the front walls of the building were close to collapsing.
Photos taken Tuesday morning show portions of the front collapsed. The back portion of the building is completely charred. Many portions of walls that still stand upright are badly burned.
The team started “mop up” at 11 p.m. Monday to put out the remaining fire at the scene.
What’s next for Charlotte Prep?
Charlotte Prep seats 400 students in grades K-8. The school was created in 1971 as Charlotte Montessori before moving to its current location. It went under a name change in 1998 and added its middle school campus.
The morning after the fire, staff and neighbors came to look at the remains of the lower school. Many said they were shocked and in disbelief. Some said they wondered what next steps would be.
In an email sent Thursday afternoon, the school said it’s planning to have an insurance company look at damage and cause of the fire — something the Charlotte Fire Department hasn’t announced. Once that concludes, the lower school will be demolished, according to the email.
The insurance adjuster also is helping Charlotte Prep find suppliers of temporary classroom structures, the school said.
During the summer, Charlotte Prep was holding a summer camp in the lower school building that ran from June 5 to July 28. After the fire, Charlotte Prep suspended all summer activities for the week. The plans are to be in session for the start of the new school year. The lower and middle school’s first day is Aug. 16 and the early school’s is Aug. 17.
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 6:53 AM.
