BELLINGHAM — A three-alarm fire is burning Whatcom Middle School in Bellingham.
The fire was reported at 1 a.m. today, and Fire Chief Bill Boyd told The Bellingham Herald it had burned through most of the roof within 15 minutes.
Boyd says firefighters did a quick search of the school and found no one inside before they were forced to withdraw.
KIRO-TV video showed flames still burning through the roof at 4:30 a.m.
No word on the cause of the fire. School District spokeswoman Tonya Rowe said the building was undergoing a seismic retrofit to help it withstand an earthquake.
Classes for the 580 students in grades 6-8 are canceled while the district works on a plan for them.
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(with information from Bellingham Herald, KIRO-TV)
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