Crews Extinguish Fire at Elementary School in Newark, Authorities Say

NEWARK — Authorities are investigating what caused a fire at East Ward Elementary School on Saturday afternoon. They expect the building will open by the start of the academic year.

Firefighters had the blaze, which was reported at 3:39 p.m., under control by 4:11 p.m., according to Public Safety Director Fragé, who said nobody was injured.

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Newark Public Schools spokesperson Nancy Deering said authorities are assessing the damage and investigating what caused the fire. The school is located at 104 Oliver St.

“The district will work diligently to ensure the building is safe and ready to receive staff at the end of August and students on Sept. 3,” Deering said in an emailed statement.

It is the second time within about a year that Newark Public Schools has seen a fire in a school building.

In August 2023, a small fire at Wilson Avenue School , also in the city’s East Ward, took firefighters about two hours to control. In that blaze, investigators did not determine a specific cause but said that there was “no malice” involved.

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Wilson Avenue School then opened in time for the start of the academic year.

As reported by TAPinto Newark, the blaze raised questions about 279 fire code violations across 45 locations in Newark’s public schools from January through April 2023, including six violations at East Ward School.

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net