Feb. 15--TRACY -- Arson is suspected as the cause of a fire that damaged the Historic Lammersville School House, 1753 Blandford Lane, Tracy officials said Friday.
The blaze, first reported shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday, caused an estimated $35,000 in damage to the framing and a portion of the original hardwood floors inside the schoolhouse.
"The fire is currently under investigation," Tracy Fire Department Division Chief Steve Hanlon said. "But it appears that it may have been started through a vent located at the base of the schoolhouse."
Firefighters had been dispatched to Clyde Bland Park around 6:35 p.m. Thursday to put out a vegetation fire roughly 75 feet from the schoolhouse.
"The building has significant smoke damage to the interior," said Robert Gravelle, public works superintendent. "We've experienced a rash of vandalism in that area."
The city of Tracy has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tracy West Side Pioneer Association to conduct tours of the schoolhouse, providing a simulation of pioneer life in 1876. Tours are on hold until further notice.
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