BRADENTON, Fla. — It was an early-morning wakeup call on Thursday for much of the staff and maintenance teams at Manatee Elementary School.

  • Fire contained to school's original building, built in 1926
  • Affected classes were moved to other buildings
  • Building closed through Thanksgiving holiday week

The fire alarm at the school's main building activated just before 4 a.m. after a fire sparked in the office. Todd Henson, the director of maintenance for Manatee County Schools, says the fire started by an outlet where two-way radios were charging.

The fire damage was contained to the school’s original building which was erected in 1926. The building housed the front offices, school clinic, administrative offices, auditorium, and seven classrooms.

While the auditorium and classrooms were only affected by smoke, the offices and clinic were badly damaged by water. Henson said much of the walls in that area will need to be redone and the flooring will be ripped out. Demolition teams were already working inside on Thursday afternoon to strip out carpeting.

"When we talk about damage like this, it is not always damage that can be seen by the eye," Henson said.

The age of the building also posed a unique set of challenges.

"It's not some of the typical construction we would see today," Henson said. "It has wood floors and some more ornate architectural features."

Before students arrived Thursday morning, staff had to move the affected classrooms to other buildings and furnish them with borrowed desks. They created makeshift signs to let parents know where to go to check their children in.

Parent Tanica Davis was impressed by the school district's quick response.

"They're doing everything they can to get it finished fast," she said.

The affected building will remain closed through the Thanksgiving holiday week. After that, Henson said his team will start figuring out the next steps to get it up and running again.