St. Francis of Assisi students to attend classes at St. Kevin School in Springfield after fire
Students impacted by a fire this week at St. Francis of Assisi School in Delaware County will temporarily attend class at the old Saint Kevin School building in Springfield starting Monday, Oct. 21, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
St. Francis of Assisi School, located in the 100 block of Saxer Avenue in Springfield, was destroyed by the fire that happened shortly after 5 p.m. Monday.
The fire left a gaping hole in the building's roof and shattered windows. Classrooms were covered with burnt debris.
School officials said the fire impacted 150 students. The building that caught fire housed pre-K, first and third-grade students.
Another building on campus hosts students in the second grade and fourth to eighth grade. That building was unaffected by the fire. Those students will return to school Monday, Oct. 14, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
"This was our preschool, kindergarten, first grade and third-grade classrooms," St. Francis of Assisi Principal Nicole Hamilton said this week. "Lots of toys and art supplies will be needed at some point. But right now, we're trying to figure out where we're going."
Classes were canceled for the rest of this week because of the fire.
The archdiocese said no one was inside the school at the time of the fire.
Community members called the Catholic school the "heart of Springfield," one third-grade student told CBS News Philadelphia that the fire brought the community "down in tears."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the cause of the fire.
Fire officials said no one was injured.
