Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer

The gutted kindergarten section of the Columbus Preparatory School in St. Ann's Bay which was destroyed by fire early yesterday morning, displacing approximately 100 students and their teachers. - Photo by Devon Evans

Ocho Rios, St. Ann:

The entire kindergarten section of the Columbus Preparatory School in St. Ann's Bay was destroyed by fire early yesterday morning, displacing approximately 100 students and their teachers.

The fire, which started shortly after 2:00 a.m., quickly engulfed the more than 60-year-old building, destroying all its contents, including books, students records, teaching aids, furniture and appliances while firefighters watched helplessly.

Principal of the school, Shirley Perkins, strongly believes that the fire was the work of arsonists.

"My assumption is that it was set on fire deliberately," a distraught Mrs. Perkins told The Gleaner yesterday after viewing the rubble of burnt-out desks, chairs and zinc sheets.

But neither the police nor fire personnel was willing to come to that conclusion, with both saying they needed to conduct further investigations to determine the fire's origin.

Police Forensic called in

Yesterday, the investigating officer, Inspector Edgar Brown, called in members of the Police Forensic Squad to assist in the investigation.

Firefighters, who arrived at the scene about 2:25 a.m., said they were delayed in their attempts to enter the premises because the gate was padlocked and they were unable to break the lock.

According to the principal, the school building, which is located on the compound of the Roman Catholic Church in St. Ann's Bay, has been the subject of frequent break-ins, resulting in the loss of refrigerators, television sets, VCRs, record players, a microwave oven, utensils, books and children's clothing.

"I anticipate more or less that the thief or thieves may have come back believing that we have replaced everything for the start of school this morning and probably, not seeing anything, they just got angry and set it on fire," Mrs. Perkins concluded.