Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office confirms accidental cause of Milford school fire

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Investigators with the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office concluded that the cause of a fire that severely damaged Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in Milford was accidental.

The news comes nearly three weeks after the fire tore through the Sussex County school. For five days, more than 600 students were forced to either stay home with their families, or were sent to day care while school district officials worked on response plans. Due to extensive destruction, the school has been closed for the foreseeable future.

“While this fire caused significant damage to the building, what it could not damage was the spirit and the resilience of the students, teachers and staff that have shown what it means to be ‘Ross Strong,’” said Delaware State Fire Marshal John Rudd at a press conference Thursday morning.

Officials with the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office said findings from the investigation revealed that the fire started in a display case in the school’s Kent Hallway. It was sparked by an electrical failure in a fluorescent light fixture attached to the top of the combustible display.

Crews were notified of the fire after an alarm went off at the school around 4:15 a.m. on Oct. 25. The Carlisle and Georgetown fire companies responded to the fire. It took more than three hours to put it out.

Assistant State Fire Marshal B. Scott Bullock said that the display case where the fire originated was built into the wall. The top of it was connected to an area above the ceiling containing all mechanical systems for the school. That includes wiring for the school’s plumbing, heating and air conditioning, electrical, communication, and security systems.

The fire burned for about 17 minutes before it triggered the alarm notification to fire crews. Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal John Galaska said because the display case was connected to the ceiling, the fire went undetected.

“It was able to rise right up on the back side of a firewall into an unprotected area not monitored by smoke detection or any alarm system or sprinklers or anything,” Galaska said.

The roof support structure for the school was also combustible, causing the fire to vent through it. Bullock said that the building sustained water damage due to the amount of water it takes to put out a significant fire like this.

“The structural framing of the roof is severely damaged, with collapse in certain areas of the Kent Hallway and library, other areas of the school,” Bullock said.

At the press conference, the school’s principal, Kimberly Webb, said that the school’s community has been heartbroken in a way “that is truly difficult to put into words.”

“Yet, even in the middle of that sadness, we have been surrounded by reminders that there is so much good in this world,” Webb said. “Our students have been our greatest reminder. Their smiles, their laughter, their hugs and their love are seeing us through.”

The fire marshal’s office is “not placing a monetary estimate on the damage” at this time, according to Bullock. He said the estimate is changing daily as the building’s damage is assessed by contractors, engineers and other staff.

Bullock, who attended the school as a child and whose mother taught at the school, said he understood how much the fire hurt students, staff and Milford residents.

“This school meant so much to so many in this community. But I can tell you from numerous meetings and conversations after the fire with leaders of this school and district administrators,  that this is just the first chapter and what will be a remarkable recovery,” Bullock said.