"I couldn't believe it. It's our school," said Analicia Torres, 17, who attended Gardner Academy and was standing devastated in front of the campus on Sunday afternoon.

On Nov. 22, the school, part of the San Jose Unified School District, was the scene of a four-alarm fire called in by residents who saw the smoke rising from the main building.

The fire alarm sounded at the district office at 9:35 p.m. on Saturday, said district spokesperson Karen Fuqua.

The first firefighters arrived on the scene within five minutes, said Illinois Avenue resident Francisco Rios, whose daughter attends Gardner Academy. He watched as a group of teachers arrived to see seven classrooms, the library, media center, computer lab, office and administration building go up in flames. Rios said residents watched firefighters battle the fire until 1:30 a.m., at which time the fire was brought under control.

Station 6 Fire Capt. Mark Skeen said, "We were right on the verge of a fifth alarm, which calls firefighters who are off duty," Skeen said. Firefighters on the scene made sure there were no 'rekindlings' and tried to salvage any materials.

Arson investigators were also on the scene conducting investigations and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) investigators were going door-to-door to get any leads on the cause of the fire.

On Monday, Nov. 24, the district arranged buses to transport children and their teachers to empty classrooms at Galarza and Horace Mann elementary schools, where, Fuqua said, students would deal with the fire through writing exercises and drawing pictures.

At press time, there was no estimate on the damage or a timetable for rebuilding the damaged campus structures. The district's preliminary reports stated that the main building had been completely destroyed, and Fuqua said smoke damage to the other structures is being reviewed.