POST FALLS, Idaho — Over 100 students and a church congregation are looking for new buildings after a fire destroyed the River Church in Post Falls early Sunday morning.
The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating what caused the fire. The building housed Little Explorers Learning Center preschool and River Tech performing arts school. Both schools were badly damaged in the fire.
Early Sunday morning, the owners of Little Explorers Learning Center got phone calls saying their preschool was on fire. Jill Verburg hoped it was a false alarm and got there as quickly as she could.
“Driving up and seeing all of those flames right above our section was disheartening and very sad,” Verburg said.
Members of the River Church, which is connected to the preschool, also watched as the building burned. No one was hurt. One member fears the building will have to be torn down because of the extensive damage.
“As we were watching the flames, we were thinking about all of the things that were not going to happen and had to be rescheduled or changed or all of those things because we knew we were not going to be able to go back into that building,” said Sarah Williams, a member of the River Church.
The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office is keeping the building closed. Even when people are let back in, Verburg isn’t sure if they’ll be able to salvage any equipment left in the building. She’s thankful they’ve already gotten support from the community to help them start over.
“Our parents have been very supportive. They’ve sent us messages all night long, ‘what can we do for you?’ ‘When you find a new space, we’ve got a truck, we’ve got a trailer, we’re willing to come do whatever to help you out,'” Verburg said.
Parents have already raised nearly $3,000 through a GoFundMe for the preschool. Another fundraiser has been set up for the River Tech performing arts school also located in the building.
Both schools are looking for new buildings to house their students. River Tech’s principal hopes to get their 75 students back in class in the next two weeks.
The ATF and the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office are still investigating what caused the fire.
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