Fire gives high schoolers a 4-day weekend

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Firefighters busted their way into the auditorium at St. Pete High School early Friday morning.

The roof above the projector room was on fire.

Marisa Dinzeo, a student there, said, "It kind of shocked me to see there was a lot of smoke up there."

More than a dozen trucks were on the scene at the school, built in 1926.

Lt. Joel Granata of St. Pete Fire Rescue said, "This is really an old school, one of the first schools in Pinellas County, so it's made of that old plaster, very difficult for firefighters to breach that."

Investigators say the fire started on the roof where a crew was doing some patch work overnight, and a blowtorch may have heated up the wood too much.

In all, damage estimates are at least a half million dollars.

"The damage is significant, between the water, the firefighters having to pull all that ceiling down," said Granata.  "We had to de-engergize the school, all the power shut off."

Because that power was shut off and because of all the water left behind, school was closed for the day.  With Labor Day on Monday, that means it's a four day weekend.

Melanie Marquez with the Pinellas County School District said, "Right now, considering where the damage is in the school, our hope, our plan is to have school open on Tuesday."

While the school was closed Friday, the football game scheduled here tonight is still on. It's St. Pete High's home opener against Gibbs, and kick off is scheudled for 7:30pm.