Fire breaks out at Calgary high school, classes move online for rest of year

An investigation is underway into an early morning fire at a charter school in the southeast neighbourhood of Acadia that will see all classes move online for the remainder of the school year.

Fire crews responded to reports of smoke billowing out of Foundations for the Future Charter Academy - South High School Campus, in the 300 block of 86th Avenue S.E. at around 2 a.m.

The fire appears to have started in a storage area outside the school, and damage was contained to the exterior of the building.

No injuries have been reported. Fire crews remained on scene, venting the smoke that had made its way into the school.

Jeff Wilson, the chair of the board of directors for Foundations for the Future Charter Academy, confirmed in a statement to CTV News that students would move to online learning for the rest of the year.

"FFCA is in the process of transitioning affected students to online learning," said Wilson in his statement sent Monday morning.

"Approximately 500 students and dozens of staff are impacted by this. We cannot comment on the investigation at this time but can confirm the building is unusable for the remainder of the school year. The damage to the interior and exterior of the building is extensive but until the investigation by Calgary Fire and Calgary Police is concluded, we won’t be able to assess the building’s long-term usability.

"Our thoughts are with the students and staff who are dealing with yet another major disruption to their education. After over two years of uncertainty driven by the pandemic, this event adds yet another layer of stress and anxiety for everyone impacted by it.

"We are grateful for the support being offered by Alberta Education as we look for alternatives to Dr. Norman Bethune school and hope to have our students and staff back together in classrooms as soon as possible."