Fire crews put out second fire at abandoned Vickery Elementary School
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Fort Worth fire crews returned to a historic, abandoned school in the Glenwood neighborhood after it caught fire again on Aug. 9.
Built in 1910, Vickery Elementary School is two stories on a raised and rusticated basement.
Arriving firefighters saw heavy smoke and fire on the western side of the main school building. The second blaze went to second alarm with fire found on multiple floors in the large building, according to the department. No one was found trapped inside, although the the previous night, firefighters rescued a dog.
The night before, a fire started on the opposite side. It was extinguished by 11 p.m. The fire department said they have responded at the location for five fires in 2023.
The building is constructed out of buff brick and used to feature three classrooms separated by two stairwells. The entrances are located at the stairwell bays, with small flat-roofed porches.
A one-story wing on the east side of the building was designed by Wyatt C. Hedrick and was completed in 1937. This wing housed additional classrooms and an auditorium. This addition was complimentary to the original building. A one-story metal building addition was constructed in the mid-1960's to the rear of the building. In the 1980's, the school was closed and in recent times, part of the building was used even used as a nightclub.
The night club closed years ago and the building has remained vacant for quite some time.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.