WARREN – The fire that destroyed the remains of the old Warren Junior High School campus is under investigation.
Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford said that his office is looking to the public for assistance in determining the cause and origin of the fire, which occurred on Sunday, July 12.
That blaze, which lasted for 10 hours, brought out firefighters from multiple agencies, and according to the county’s emergency management coordinator and fire marshal, Justin Dilbeck, the crews that were on site fought the blaze at the old school building, and were able to save a gymnasium located nearby that is used for the Warren Little Dribblers program.
The old school, which was built in 1935, was added to the U.S. National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places but was not on the state’s historical marker registry. It had not been used by Warren ISD for decades.
Weatherford said that the fire “placed a significant strain on our critical infrastructure,” and that “Our first responders were pushed to their limits, and our water system is not designed to supply the volume of water these types of fires require.”
The investigation is being done in coordination between Dilbeck’s office and the state fire marshal’s office, and Weatherford is asking that anyone with any information contact either his office at 409-283-2172, or anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 409-283-TIPS.
