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by: James Ford
IRONBOUND Newark PIX11 — For more than a century, and a quarter, an elementary school serving grades K through 8 has been the heart of Ironbound, Newark.
Families are wondering now, following a fire early on Monday morning that damaged one of Wilson Avenue School’s main buildings. Teachers will arrive Tuesday. Students arrive the week after.
Some neighbors said that they were woken up around 2:30 a.m. by Newark Fire Department trucks and engines responding the blaze. According to a fire department statement, firefighters were called in “at about 3 a.m.”
Residents say that since 1881 when the Ironbound facility was opened, the school has been an important part of Ironbound.
It brings me back to my school days. Carlos Rocha, a 1979 eighth-grader who has fond memories of the school, said: “A lot to remember.” “I was amazed that this happened.”
It was not just him who was surprised when 10 fire trucks arrived on the scene.
Joseph Barreiro, who lives across the street of the Wilson Avenue School, is bound by Ferry Streets, Alyea Streets, and Patterson Streets.
Barreiro recalled that Barreiro’s father began banging at his window to tell him, “The school is on flames.” “I looked through the window and said: ‘Oh, my God!
Barreiro is also a graduate of the same school, having graduated late in 1970.
“It hurts,” the boy said. “It certainly hurts.”
Barreiro noted that Wilson Avenue School had become the center of the neighbourhood after its 142 year history.
He told PIX11 News that “this is our story, our way of life.” “It feels like a second home.”
Maria Barreiro was not only a 1954 graduate of the school which had been partially boarded Monday afternoon, after the fire. She was also a teacher’s aid there.
About the fire, she expressed her sadness.
Despite her efforts, she kept trying to lighten the mood.
“Thank God, they got into, and the fire was contained in these two bedrooms,” said the woman, referring the two first-floor rooms where the fire had been extinguished by firefighters.
Most families reported that the multipurpose space and classroom were most affected by fire.
The firefighting water also damaged the classrooms located below. Library is located below fire damaged rooms. There’s no way to know how severe the fire damage was, but firefighters and school maintenance employees opened the majority of school windows on Monday in order to get rid of smoke.
What would come next?
Dylan Barreiro (incoming 8th grade) said that he didn’t want virtual school or to have to change schools.
It is scheduled that he, along with his other classmates, will start classes the next day after Labor Day.
Newark Public Schools issued a release in which they said the following, among other things:
It has been a week since the district started working on ensuring that its building was safe for staff and students to enter. Students, staff and families will all be informed about any relevant steps to take, since the first day is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Thank you to the Newark Fire Department and our facilities and security teams. The teachers union stated that the teachers would start tentatively training next Tuesday, at a separate school. Wilson Avenue School will be ready to receive full faculty, staff, and students by week’s end.
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