A vacant high school in Dallas continues to be a problem in the South Oak Cliff neighborhood. Since September, the building has caught on fire five times and it remains under investigation as to how the fires started.
The building, located at the intersection of West Kiest Blvd. and S. Beckley Ave. sits near I-35 and is vacant, but despite not being used, there's been a lot of activity at the old school.
Dallas Fire Rescue, DFR, said most recently on Tuesday night 60 to 70 firefighters responded to 3313 S. Beckley Ave., after reports of a fire inside the old school.
"This fire marks the fifth fire at the location since September (9/26, 10/13, 11/19, 12/2 and 12/3). The resulting damage from those fires have left the structural integrity in question in some places, so suppression efforts are defensive in nature. Additionally, the location is in the process of being abated and demolished according to DISD," said DFR.
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Firefighters said no one was inside and there were no injures. The continued fires are become a nuisance for those who live in the area.
"I can understand some of their frustration because they don't have all the answers and this incident keeps happening," said Dallas City Council Member Carolyn King Arnold, who represents District 4.
She said the city is working with the Dallas Independent School District, DISD, which owns the property, to curb the issue. In September, the city gave Dallas ISD the approval to demolish the building, which is currently underway.
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“Our job is to make sure demolition takes place in a timely fashion, in a safe fashion," said Arnold.
DISD said the old school should be demolished by 2025.
Arnold said her office will make sure neighbors are informed about what's happening with the school.
“We are going to get letters out that will come from our office to make sure that the community knows that from a city side and school district side that we are taking certain steps to address this problem," said Arnold.
She said cameras are expected to go up around the property, which already has fencing.
How the fires started is still under investigation.
