A fire at St. Charles Catholic School in northwest Spokane causes significant damage

A fire at St. Charles Catholic School in northwest Spokane, which caused significant damage to the school building overnight, is currently under investigation by three law enforcement agencies.

Father Esteban Soler was soundly asleep after a long journey home from Argentina, where he was visiting his family, when he was awakened by someone knocking on the door of the rectory.

It was a Spokane police officer who alerted Soler that the building was on fire.

“He was soundly asleep and the knock on the door who are the cops woke him,” said Bishop Tom Daly of the Diocese of Spokane when he came to see the damage.

The officer was parked in the school’s parking lot when he saw signs of the fire and called it around 1:30 a.m., said deputy chief Julie O’Berg of the Spokane Fire Department.

“He could knock on some doors and call the fire department,” said O’Berg.

Soler was the only person in the residence and could get out unharmed, said O’Berg. No one else was hurt.

Brian Schaeffer, Spokane fire chief, said the “aggressive fire fighting” prevented the fire from spreading to the center wing of the school and the north wing where the sanctuary is located.

The Spokane Fire Department, Spokane Police Department and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau are investigating the fire.

The school has surveillance cameras and a suspicious person was discovered on campus last night by volunteers preparing for a fundraiser for a school auction, Daly said.

While Schaeffer said it was too early to reveal the cause of the fire or whether it was set on purpose, Daly said there were concerns that St. Charles might be targeted. There has been vandalism in the church in the past but nothing school related, Daly said.

“Unfortunately there has been vandalism in the synagogue and in the last year vandalism has increased in Catholic churches, schools and statues in the country,” said Daly. “It’s always a concern that this is part of a trend where people are targeting places of worship?”

The Beth Shalom temple on Spokane’s South Hill was destroyed last month. A self-identifying neo-Nazi has since been arrested and charged with crimes related to vandalism.

The diocese plans to reassess the safety of its other schools.

The south wing of the school, in which there are classrooms and school offices in addition to the rectory, was significantly damaged, said Schaeffer.

The original wing of the school building was built in 1950. The fire devastated most of the original south wing and spread to the attic.

“The church itself was built in some kind of award-winning European architecture,” said Daly.

By 1957, three more wings were built and opened, including the place where the church shrine is today.

Fortunately, the sanctuary and the large-format works of art by Spokanite Harold Balazs were completely spared.

This year, St. Charles adopted a new classic educational model that increased its enrollment, Daly said.

“The whole kind of parish complex was, you know, some kind of renewal,” Daly said. “So this is a time of great challenge.”

Ron Solin, a member of the ward’s finance committee, said there has been “a tremendous boost” this year under Soler’s leadership. Soler has continued to ensure that the school is focused not only on faith but also on academic excellence, Hardin said. The approximately 130 students in grades K-8 have been working full-time again for several months.

When it came to fixing the damage and getting kids back into the classroom after the coronavirus pandemic sent them home, it was too early Thursday morning to come up with a solid plan, Daly said. They plan to use the virtual learning already in place due to COVID, along with support from surrounding Catholic schools, for future plans, Daly said.

Daly estimated the damage to the building at about $ 2 million.

Financially, Hardin said the community and school are in a good place and are confident about their insurance. Soler said the administration refused to comment at the time.

The best way for the community to help is to stay vigilant, Daly said.

“Obviously, prayers, support and vigilance,” said Daily. “So that no other place of worship, no other school, no other place where people gather who are very important to the well-being of our society, is attacked.”