Students eyed in school fire

Police investigators believe that the fire that gutted the Kagman High School Environmental Science Room on Saturday was a case of arson perpetrated by its own students. Public School System officials also believe that the fire may have been used to cover up the theft of some of the equipment inside.

Division of Fire director John Wabol did not disclose the identities of the suspects, besides saying that they are juveniles. He did not specify the number of students tagged as suspects behind the school fire.

“It’s an arson case,” Wabol said tersely. “Our investigators are still back there to get more information.”

Wabol refused to elaborate on the initial findings of the probe, referring inquiries to Department of Public Safety spokesman Eric David, who could not be reached for an interview yesterday.

Public School System associate commissioner David M. Borja said, though, that two laptop computers were missing from what remained of the charred room and he suspects the fire was set off to cover up the theft.

Borja said that, before the incident, KHS principal Doreen Tudela submitted an inventory of the equipment and devices inside in the room. Because of the list, he said PSS could immediately identify what was lost and destroyed in the room and the two laptop computers were not among the equipment found by investigators after the incident.

Borja said Tudela immediately called him to report the incident. He also sent some of his staff to take pictures of what remained of the science room.

He expressed disappointment over what happened to the high-tech equipment inside, noting that some of the items were not even two months old.

Borja said right now they are waiting for the formal report from the DPS. He said he had heard from the police that some of the culprits have boasted of what they did at KHS and he hopes that authorities would be able to apprehend them through the NMI Crime Stoppers network.

Borja denied speculations that the fire at the science room was caused by an overheated air-conditioning unit, which was left running, saying the spray-painted profanities on the board and tables attest to somebody breaking in and starting the conflagration.

He said the science room requires air-conditioning because of the sensitive electronics inside, which removes humidity from the air and protects the high-tech electronic equipment.

He said over $50,000 worth of computer and information technology equipment, including newly acquired laptops, LCD projectors, personal digital devices or Palm Pilots and three desktop computers, were lost in the fire, which also damaged the school’s audio-visual equipment and Internet wireless modem.

Tudela earlier said that the science room housed the main electrical switchboards for the entire school wing’s power sources. She said they would have to reconnect the wirings and renovate the entire room at a cost of $200,000.

Witnesses who live at the back of the school saw three juveniles scamper out of the facility Saturday at around 11pm. The fire was put out at around 11:45pm that same night.

Probers have yet to disclose the cause of the fire and how the suspects set the classroom ablaze. (With John Ravelo)