Monsey schoolhouse fire under investigation

MONSEY - The investigation will continue Monday into a fire in a trailer-type building used as a schoolhouse in Monsey, a Rockland County fire official said.

Gordon Wren, the county fire coordinator, said that officials were working on questions such as whether there were building permits at 15 Elyon Road and who did work there. He said there may be more information Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters responded to a 2:44 a.m. call Sunday; The fire took more than 2 and a half hours to extinguish with 40 firefighters at the scene. There were no injuries.

One classroom, bathroom and hallway were salvaged in the blaze.

"We got called for a Dumpster fire but it was a trailer-type building that they use for schooling," said Spring Valley Deputy Fire Chief Ken Conjura. "We had heavy fire on arrival and they had no working fire-alarm system in the building. Due to the construction of these things and the weather — it was a tough battle."

Firefighters had to force their way in to the empty building. It had five layers of sheet rock with wood construction behind it, officials said. There were blocked entrances and unsafe exits, the fire chief said.

"Five layers of sheet rock is unheard of. Our feeling is that this building has never been inspected or was changed after inspection," Conjura said. "Some of the exits were blocked. You opened them and the door didn’t open or there was a three- to six-foot drop-off."

The structure was roughly 200 feet long and 75 feet wide. It was made up of multiple modular trailers that had been put together.

"It’s a tin box on the outside and a building with unknown materials on the inside," Conjura said. "It is very dangerous for firefighters because of the type of structure. The windows are small so, if you have to get out, it is very hard."

Similar structures are common in the town of Ramapo as long as they are up to code.

Under state law, classrooms require an active fire-alarm system.

"I’m not sure how they were able to inhabit the building without having a fire system. From our perspective, the school is being used and it doesn't meet the fire-safety codes," Conjura said.

Three fire departments responded: Spring Valley, South Spring Valley and Hillcrest.

Orange and Rockland Utilities cut the power to the building.

"These are the buildings we always bring up that are dangerous, especially for men and women volunteering," Conjura said.

Twitter: @krhudsonvalley