Chesterfield, VA : Fiery accident cancels classes at L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield on Thursday, January 22, 2015

A stolen van apparently was deliberately crashed into the main entrance of Chesterfield County’s L.C. Bird High School early Thursday morning, catching fire and sending smoke through the school. Officials canceled classes.

School officials announced later Thursday that classes also will be canceled today. The building will remain closed for activities through Sunday night, Principal Laura Hebert said in a memo to parents.

“Our support services team has worked diligently throughout the day to clean our school,” Hebert wrote. “Repairs are being made to our front entrance, water has been removed, carpets are being replaced, and the smoke odor has started to dissipate.”

“We are hopeful that we will be able to reopen on Monday.”
Firefighters were called about 1:30 a.m. after a fire alarm activated. They found the van inside the door to the school and fully ablaze, said Lt. Jason Elmore, a Chesterfield Fire & EMS spokesman.

No one was with the van. Elmore said that given the location of the school at a dead end, it was highly unlikely that the crash was a mishap.

“It does appear at this time that it was done intentionally,” Elmore said. “We can’t understand the motive at this point.”
He described the vehicle as a work van and said police were investigating to determine its registration and other details. Investigators were also examining surveillance video at the school, he said.

Later Thursday, police spokeswoman Liz Caroon said investigators had determined that the van had been stolen Thursday morning from a location in Chesterfield that police declined to disclose. But the vehicle’s owner had not yet reported it stolen, likely because it had been taken before the owner realized it was missing.
Investigators determined that the fire started as the result of spinning tires causing friction and sparks and eventually igniting the van, Elmore said.

“They were able to get the fire under control fairly quickly, but it smoked up the majority of the school,” Elmore said. “They worked for the next hour to get the smoke out of the remainder of the school.”

The disruption forced school officials to reschedule some events.
For example, a regional orchestra event scheduled for this weekend at Bird will now be held at Meadowbrook High School, and a specialty center testing session set for Saturday was moved next door to the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center, Hebert said in her announcement.

All athletic events planned for off-campus were to be held as scheduled.
“We appreciate your continued patience and support of our efforts to provide your child a safe, healthy learning environment,” Hebert said. “I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday.”

Source :
Classes canceled after van crashes into Chesterfield County school, catches fire