Fire destroys Glide High building

GLIDE — Thick brown and black pillows of smoke could be seen from miles away on Highway 138 East as the clouds bloomed from a burning Glide High School Saturday.

Small groups of both former and new students lined the road across the street as they watched the main building that housed the science and home economics classes and administrative offices burn.

“This is sad,” said Vicky Powell, a Glide resident who graduated from the high school in 1988, under her breath.

Her two daughters, Jessica Powell, 14, and her sister Maria, 14, would have walked the now-charred halls in the fall.

“I was excited about starting school,” said Maria, emphasizing the word “was.”

Superintendent Don Schrader was pacing behind the building, watching as firefighters battled the flames. He said he received a call at 12:40 p.m. and was notified that smoke was spilling from the back of the building. He was only a couple of minutes away and said when he arrived, one of the maintenance workers was trying to put the fire out himself with a hose.

Schrader, who has been the superintendent for three years, said the main computer server was rescued from the office so student information will be retained.

“This is probably going to slow down the renovation projects though,” said Schrader, pointing to the building currently under construction near the high school. He said the district had planned to finish the new science building and library by the time school started in the fall.

Shortly after 1 p.m., firefighters from the Glide Rural Fire District, Douglas County Fire District No. 2 and the Roseburg Fire Department battled the stubborn flames erupting from the science building. Glide Rural Fire District Fire Chief Dan Tilson said fire departments from across the county responded.

The fire remains under investigation, but it is believed to have started in the attic. Tilson said as far as they know, no one working on construction at the school that day had been in the room where the fire began. He said that someone working in another part of the building saw the smoke and came to the scene.

“It’s a complete loss for this building,” said Glide Rural Fire District Deputy Chief Terry Dean, wiping sweat from his forehead as the afternoon sun beat down. “We’re just now getting a handle on it.”

Dean said the combination of the chemicals, dry wood from the old building and the wind feeding the flames were the culprits in preventing firefighters from completely extinguishing the flames.

Glide High School Principal Pam Maurice also stood behind the building. She mentioned that her office inside the main building could potentially be destroyed from severe smoke and water damages if the fire didn’t reach it first.

“I have my laptop and all my files in there,” she said.

She said the firefighters were trying to keep the flames from spreading to the gym which neighbors the main building on one side. Two other existing buildings, one that houses the band room and cafeteria as well as classrooms, and another that includes classrooms and the counseling center, were unharmed in the fire.

“I’m so thankful it happened when there were no students or staff on the campus,” said Maurice, who has been the principal at Glide High School for 12 years.

School board member Blair Nash came down to look at the damage and said the board will discuss what to do for classrooms and space in the fall at Monday’s Glide School Board meeting.

By evening, the fire had reduced the science classroom to partially burnt walls, charred remains and ashes. The flames also burned the library and areas extending to the main hallway. Tilson said water and smoke caused extensive damage to the administrative offices and the gym.

The highway was closed for about four hours, and by 7 p.m. firefighters were watching for any smoke in the wreckage. Tilson said that they would probably keep some firefighters on the scene for most of the night to make sure the building didn’t re-ignite.

He said no one was injured but hot temperatures made fighting the fire difficult.

“When you have a fire like this in this kind of weather you can only fight it for so long until you have to cool off,” he said.

He was thankful for the quick response and help from other fire departments. Other departments that also responded were Sutherlin, Myrtle Creek and Winston-Dillard.

“We’d be standing here with nothing if all the other fire departments didn’t respond,” he said.



• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.

Glide community rallies around firefighters

GLIDE — Less than two hours after smoke began pouring from Glide High School Saturday afternoon, community members were set up behind the school barbecuing food for the firefighters.

Throughout the day, people from around the area brought food and water from the Glide Store, the Red Cross handed out food and supplies, and people offered a hand for whatever they could provide.

Joshua Rennings, 22, got a call about the fire from his mom. The Glide High School graduate headed down to the school and helped carry oxygen tanks to be refilled and then brought the full tanks back to the firefighters.

“The whole community pitched in,” he said.

He was thankful that no one was hurt in the fire and that the gym still stood, calling it the Wildcats’ pride and joy.

Former Glide teacher and coach Sharon Costanzo watched the flames with watery eyes. She could hardly believe she was witnessing the building where she taught for more than three decades go up in smoke.

As the smoke began to fade later that evening, Rennings stood with Kelly Cooper, 20, looking at the charred remains of rooms where they once attended classes.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Cooper said. “It was horrible. I have a lot of mixed emotions.”

As firefighters monitored the scene, watching to make sure that fire didn’t start up again in the wreckage, cookies, coolers of drinks and snacks lined tables outside.

“Glide is a tight community,” Rennings said. “Everybody will pull together.”

— DESIREE AFLLEJE, The News-Review