Crime & Safety
Fire Strikes at Hawthorne Ave. Elementary School
Damage at two outdoor classrooms was not considered major; the primary school building was not impacted by the Saturday afternoon fire.
Investigators are working to determine what caused a fire to spread to two outdoor classrooms of Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School Saturday afternoon.
According to Newark Fire Department Captain John Brown, the blaze began between two outdoor trailers at the South Ward school. Thirty-five firefighters contained the fire within 15 minutes of it being reported, he said. It did not impact the main building.
“It was not a huge fire,” Brown told Patch. “Because it was inside the boibs, it was difficult to fight.”
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He reported “minor-to-moderate damage” to the interior of the outdoor classrooms but doesn’t expect it to force a closure of school on Monday.
“It’s mostly water damage so if they can mop up the water in time, the classrooms should be alright,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of fire damage.”
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One firefighter was transported to the hospital after suffering a twisted ankle while fighting the fire, according to Brown.
Correction: The fire did not affect the primary building.
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