A fire broke out on the roof of Lindenwold School 4 Tuesday night, forcing the district to close the building Wednesday while officials investigate what sparked the blaze. Firefighters found smoke pouring from the roof of the school on the 900 block of East Gibbsboro Road in Camden County, and no injuries were reported among the construction crew and evening facilities staff who were inside the building when the fire started.
The fire was reported around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, bringing local fire marshals and the fire chief to the scene to evaluate structural damage, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia. Aerial footage from the scene showed smoke and flames at the roof of the building. Lindenwold Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kristin P. O'Neil said crews were still assessing the situation, according to 6abc Philadelphia, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Renovation Work Was Already Underway at School 4
The fire hit School 4 in the middle of renovation work. Renovation work at the school included extensive HVAC replacement and asbestos abatement scheduled to run through 2026. That timeline explains why construction crews and facilities workers were still on site well into the evening when smoke was first spotted coming from the roof.
School 4 is an elementary school in the district, according to the school's own administrative page. It's led by Principal Dr. Sandra Martinez-Preyor, who took over at School 4 after spending 12 years as principal of Lindenwold School 5, per the same school website.
A District Already Managing Overcrowding And Safety Concerns
The fire adds another disruption to a district that has spent recent years working through infrastructure and safety challenges. Lindenwold Public Schools serves roughly 3,100 students across five buildings and is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education in District Factor Group B, a designation reflecting one of the state's lower socioeconomic tiers, according to Wikipedia. A new Early Childhood Center is intended to ease elementary overcrowding.
District leadership has also had to navigate challenges before. More recently, federal immigration enforcement activity near Woodland Village caused fear, with students fleeing, as reported by NJ Spotlight News.
How Repairs May Be Paid For
Officials have not yet detailed how repairs stemming from Tuesday's fire will be paid for or what the damage will cost to fix.
For now, families are left waiting on updates as fire marshals continue their structural inspection of the roof and surrounding areas. Whether the closure extends beyond Wednesday, what exactly triggered the fire, and the full scope of the roof damage all remain open questions the district has not yet answered.
