Small Fire Makes Huge Impact on School

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SABRINA TANG , MOSES LOPEZ Staff Writers

On Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, a small fire erupted in the A building at approximately 2:30 a.m. The fire began in the Student Services office located on the first floor of the building. According to an article published by the Alhambra Source, the fire was initiated by a space heater left unattended. The blaze was quickly extinguished in thirty minutes by the Alhambra Fire Department. 

The A building is currently fenced off and access through the northeast upstairs and downstairs is prohibited. The visitor entrance has been moved to the gate between B and C building. The Student Employee Welfare Office and Business and Activities have been relocated to the Career Center, which has been moved to the library. The Attendance Office is now located at the school counseling office, whereas the health/nurses office can be found at the Athletic Director Office in the P.E. area.

The classrooms of Kevin Tong, Connie Yim, Netza Bravo, and Jayson Pineda, have been relocated to C225, B24, C122 and IA3, respectively. Several other staff members were also affected. “It was unfortunate because Mr. Tong, as well as the students, lost a lot

of precious items such as his yearbooks from past years,” freshman Han Li said. Many clubs that regularly use these rooms will have to replace much of their own belongings with money from their own pockets. 

“The stuff we lost cost thousands of dollars since the [Gaming] club has been going on for five years,” Gaming Club Advisor Jayson Pineda said.

 All of the items in the affected areas were permanently damaged and therefore discarded. Any textbooks lost due to the fire will be replaced free of charge. Those who lost books can notify Mary Hubner in the Book Room for replacements. Currently, the district is working with Servpro, a fire and water cleanup franchise, to clean up any damage. 

 “The construction will be carried out in phases around campus,” Principal Marisa Palacios said. According to Palacios, it may cost an estimate of nearly two million dollars and take up to two years before the school is given any construction updates about the damaged buildings.