The Willow Glen Resident

Another fire breaks out at WG High School

Investigators don't yet know if arson was involved in a rash of blazes

By Rebecca Wallace

Last week's early-morning fire at Willow Glen High School is the latest in a string of blazes at the school, but investigators say they don't yet know if the fires are connected or whether they were purposely set.

"We've had what appears to be a rash of dumpster and trash fires there," said Capt. Mike Cunningham of the San Jose Fire Department. "Over a period of about seven days during the end of December, there were four or five calls. But it's hard to tell if they're linked."

The most recent fire started at about 3 a.m. Jan. 26, Cunningham said. After a neighbor of the school saw the smoke and called 911, firefighters arrived to find two 20- to 30-foot juniper bushes ablaze and a fire in a dumpster nearby. A stairwell window in a nearby building was also damaged.

No one was injured, and damage was relatively minimal--estimated at $100, Cunningham said.

"It's kind of scary. We work here at night and never know if someone's outside torching the building down while we're inside," said Patrick Kapps, head custodian at Willow Glen High School.

San Jose arson investigator Jim Acker said it still had not been determined which, if any, of the fires at the school were arson.

"We've got a number of leads and suspects, but it's such an early [stage of the] investigation," he said. "The whole thing is like one big mass of an open case." He added that at this point he still wasn't sure how many fires there had been.

Willow Glen Principal Patrick Day said he was "extremely concerned" about the blazes and was working closely with investigators. The school has been taking steps to reduce fire hazards, including removing some spruce trees that had dry wood and beefing up school security.

More school lights remain on at night now, Kapps said, and old garbage bins have been replaced with ones that lock shut so the garbage can't be set on fire.

"We've not really had anything like this before," said Kapps, a 20-year employee of Willow Glen High School. "We have to be really careful now and not leave out anything that would burn."

Acker advised neighbors and school personnel to be on the alert for anyone suspicious at the school.

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