The old St. Stephens Elementary School -- a Catawba County landmark since its construction in 1933 -- burned Friday night, and investigators believe the fire was set intentionally.
They had no suspects as of 10:30 p.m., and they didn't know the fire's cause; about 60 firefighters were still on the scene, knocking down hot spots throughout what remained of the 100,000-square-foot brick building on Springs Road, just northeast of Hickory.
The old school, which the county school system abandoned for a new school in 2001, didn't have power. "At this point, with a vacant building with no power to it," said county Emergency Services Director Dave Weldon, "it has to be assumed that it's not a natural cause."
Although break-ins and vagrants have been common in the old building since it was closed, there's no indication anyone was inside as it burned, Weldon said. Still, he said, it may be as long as 48 hours before investigators can enter the building to determine where the fire started and whether any accelerant was used to start it.
The county Fire Marshal's Office, along with county Sheriff's Office detectives and State Bureau of Investigation agents, plan to begin the investigation as soon as they can begin examining the building, Weldon said.
A neighbor living behind the school called 911 at 7:18 p.m. to report heavy smoke billowing from one end of the building, he said. The first firetruck arrived three minutes later, Weldon said, "and it was fully involved."
By 9 p.m., flames were shooting upward as high as 30 feet from the south end of the building as neighbors lined Springs, staring and taking photographs with camera phones. By then, only the brick walls and chimney, plus some window panes, remained intact; the wood-and-asphalt roofing and wooden interior was gone.
"It's sad. It's a historic landmark," said Donna Bentley, 35, who lives near the school. "I've been here for bake sales and carnivals and things like that. I about cried when they closed it down. This is worse."
The building was worth an estimated $1.38 million, Weldon said. It started as a high school, then served for years as Catawba County's second-oldest school until the final classes in spring 2001.
Since then, the school system has tried to find a buyer for the property, which includes a more recently built cafeteria and gym that the fire didn't touch on Friday. The district wanted $3.25 million for the property but was unable to find a buyer, and the property remained on the market Friday.