LOS ANGELES --
School was cancelled Monday for about 3,500 students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, where a fire believed to be the result of arson gutted the historic auditorium and damaged classrooms.
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The fire was reported at the school at 5101 E. Sixth St. at 7:38 a.m. Sunday. It took about 100 firefighters nearly two hours to knock it down, said county fire Inspector Sam Padilla.
Los Angeles Unified School officials said the blaze was centered in the school's auditorium, and some classrooms were also damaged. No injuries were reported and a damage estimate was not yet available.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
A joint team of investigators from the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments is searching for possible arson suspects, Deputy Ed Hernandez, a Sheriff's Department spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles school police are also investigating the incident, according to the Sheriff's Department.
The school was the setting for the movie "Stand and Deliver," which chronicled the accomplishments of East Los Angeles students who were taught physics so well by teacher Jaime Escalante that they were unfairly accused of cheating.
"This is the school where 'Stand and Deliver,' the motion picture was filmed, and it represents the hope of East L.A.," Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, said Sunday. "This is history in East Los Angeles and it went up in flames ... But that history, we're in a fight to bring it back. We're going to rebuild."
Built in 1925, the auditorium was considered an area landmark, with Depression glass chandeliers and ornate plasterwork covering the walls.
"It was a beautiful, beautiful stage," high school Principal Omar Del Cueto said. "To be quite honest, it's architectural artwork. It really was a piece of art that we've lost ... The building could probably be replaced ... but the memories ... they don't make them like that anymore, and the cost to make it (today) would be prohibitive."
Classes were called off for Monday. District officials expected to announce Monday afternoon if school would reopen by Tuesday. Parents with questions can phone LAUSD's Region 5 headquarters Tuesday at 323-224-3190.
Although 4,700 students attend Garfield, the school is on a year-round schedule and only 3,500 kids were to attend classes this week, Morgan said.
Among the school administration's most immediate challenges will be getting the campus in condition to reopen.
Del Cueto, the school's principal, told The Times that the options included moving some students to alternative sites or running classes in outdoor tents. He also planned to have psychologists present at the school when it reopens to help traumatized students.
"We're going to try to normalize things as fast as possible," Del Cueto told The Times.
Garfield students were set to begin statewide testing on Tuesday. As of last night, alternative testing plans had not yet been devised, The Times reported.
As he toured the school grounds Sunday, Del Cueto found a silver lining just a few feet away from the auditorium's side door. A large, gray natural gas main sat underneath an outdoor staircase. If the fire had reached it, he told The Times, "It would have left a crater."
