Students to return to Walker tomorrow

J.W. Walker School students and staff will return there tomorrow after a gas leak and fire back on Feb. 28 forced them to relocate to temporary classrooms.
Students had been situated at Robert Moore School, Huffman School, and Fort Frances High School, but Walker principal Bill Daley noted things are ready for the students’ return.

“The school will be open and everything is order, aside from the gym,” he said this morning.
Fortunately, said Daley, the fire damage was limited to the school’s gymnasium, with water damage confined to the floors of the lower level of the building, as well as the office and library.
As well, the Rainy River District School Board’s maintenance department, along with private contractors, set to work right away to ensure the return of the students at the earliest possible date.
Following the incident, Rolf Waffler, an investigator from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, noted the cause of the explosion and subsequent fire was a leak in a gas main.
The natural gas was able to enter the building along a watermain, where it accumulated in the building.
The explosion happened in the boys’ change room by the gymnasium.
No one was injured in the incident, which also prompted the evacuation of nearby residences and hotels.