BLAZE 'WAS NOT ACCIDENTAL'

NORWOOD — Officials said they believe a fire that destroyed the old Norwood Elementary School on Prospect Street early Friday was intentionally set.

"It was not accidental," St. Lawrence County fire investigator W. Joseph Lacks said. "We believe this was an intentionally set fire. The fire had several starting points in the building."

Norwood Police Officer Ryan L. Bogardus spotted smoke coming from the building at 26 Prospect St. about 1:10 a.m. while on patrol and called emergency dispatchers. Firefighters from departments including Norwood, Norfolk, Potsdam, West Potsdam, Madrid and Stockholm battled the blaze through the cold, snowy early morning hours.

Hoses were set up at the front, side and rear of the structure as teams of firefighters blasted the building's facade with high-powered deluge guns. The Potsdam Fire Department used its ladder truck to spray water on the building's roof and bell tower, which collapsed soon after the building was fully involved.

For the first several hours of the fire, a thick wall of smoke and ash obscured a large area along Prospect Street, creating poor visibility for emergency vehicles moving around the scene. Wind also sent small pieces of burning debris raining down on nearby homes, prompting firefighters to carefully patrol neighboring houses to ensure the fire was not spreading to those structures.

The departments spread out over nearby blocks, running hoses and lines of tanker trucks all the way down Prospect Street to state Route 56. Firetrucks lined up on Morton and Harrison streets to supply water for the efforts taking place at the rear of the schoolhouse, while mutual-aid pumpers set up at the Norwood Boat Launch to refill emptied trucks with water.

The old wood-and-brick structure was gutted and two walls collapsed, but the newer portion of the building was slightly damaged, Mr. Lacks said. No injuries were reported.

"The place has been abandoned for a few years," he said. "There had been kids in and out of there from time to time."

Later Friday, village residents were stopping by, some snapping pictures of the remains of the old school built in 1885. Many were sharing stories about their children attending school or a community function in the building.

Prospect Street resident Stephen Tebo, who lives across the road from the old school, couldn't believe the intensity of the blaze.

"From my front porch, I could feel the heat from the fire," Mr. Tebo said. "It's sad."

Norwood Fire Chief Brian J. Haggett said a few families squatting in the building were evicted recently because the building had no utilities. One family had been using four space heaters to keep warm.

"I'm really glad we got them out," Mr. Haggett said. "This could have been a different story."

The building was still smoldering Friday afternoon, and the scent of charred wood was present throughout the village.

The building will be demolished in the coming days because of safety concerns, Mayor James H. McFaddin said. The former school was condemned about two years ago for various building code violations.

"It is an emotional loss for the village," Mr. McFaddin said. "There's a lot of history in that building. Three or four generations of Norwood residents went through there and graduated."

The property is owned by IB Properties Holding LLC of Coral Gables, Fla., and assessed for $135,000, according to property tax records. The company acquired the property in May 2007 through foreclosure.

Mr. McFaddin said he hopes the cornerstone of the old school can be saved. The bell was taken out of the tower several years ago.

St. Lawrence County sheriff's investigators are assisting with the arson case. Anyone with information on the fire can call the sheriff's department at 379-2222.

Johnson Newspapers writer Laura Bomyea contributed to this report.