North Texas

Large Fire Destroys Mesquite Private School

Firefighters battled a large fire Wednesday afternoon at a private school in Mesquite.[[421214893,R]]

The fire was at Appleseed Academy on the 2400 block of North Galloway.

"Like a volcano. Like Hell or something," said Brenda Rangel as she described the fire that raged behind her house. "We couldn't believe it!"

A fire quickly spread through a Mesquite private school Wednesday. Everyone was able to safely exit the building without injuries, officials say.

Mesquite fire officials confirm to NBC 5 that everyone was able to safely exit the building.

"One of the scariest feelings you'll ever have," explained parent Lacie Townley. "I just wanted to see his (her son Zachary's) face."

The school's director, Barbara Kilpatrick, says the building's smoke alarms alerted them to the fire, and they evacuated the children.

"We don't know the cause of the fire. It just enveloped the building very quickly," said Kilpatrick. "We're just glad that everybody is safe. That's the important thing."

Kilpatrick said the students and staff practiced monthly fire drills, and could get out of the building in about two minutes. That practice paid off Wednesday.

Police and school staff escorted the children to a nearby church, where parents could pick them up.

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The building appears to be a total loss from the fire.

According to its website, Appleseed Academy is a private Christian school that offers preschool and elementary education through third grade, along with full-time child care and after school activities.

In an update posted to its Facebook page late Wednesday, Appleseed Academy said:

"Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Please keep us in your prayers. We will immediately begin looking for a temporary location for our students. We will post updates on our website and Facebook page as soon as possible."

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