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Small fire at Miller Middle School causes up to $150,000 in damages

9-R officials unsure if destruction will impact construction timeline
A fire was reported about 2 p.m. Sunday at the Miller Middle School construction site. The cause had not been determined as of Monday afternoon. (Tyler Brown/Durango Herald file)

A small fire ignited Sunday at Miller Middle School’s construction site, causing up to $150,000 in damages and potentially delaying the completion date of a new school building.

The fire was reported about 2 p.m. when smoke was observed coming from the school property. Durango Fire Protection District responded with two fire engines, one ladder truck and two ambulances. The fire was doused in a matter of minutes, said Durango Fire Marshal Stephen Rinaldi.

The fire started in an area where electrical equipment and kitchen equipment were being staged before being installed in the new building, Rinaldi said. The school district estimates the blaze caused about $70,000 to $150,000 in damages to the equipment.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday afternoon; firefighters had no definitive leads.

“Thankfully, the fire department was dispatched quickly and was able to get it contained very quickly,” 9-R district Chief Operations Officer Chris Coleman said.

District officials are unsure how the fire will impact the completion date of the new Miller Middle School building.

The middle school is undergoing a roughly $55 million project to construct a 60,000-square-foot, three-story building east of its original school building. The new building is scheduled to be completed by the fall semester 2024.

tbrown@durangoherald.com



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