Orillia firefighters quickly extinguished a small fire inside an unoccupied old school Tuesday night.
While the fire inside the former Mount Slaven School building was minor, it sparked some major concerns about the state of the building on Westmount Drive.
"Structures like that, when they're unoccupied or abandoned, we're very careful," said acting Fire Chief Brent Thomas. "We don't go in unless someone is in there because it puts our guys at risk."
Firefighters have run into trouble in such structures in the past, said Thomas, noting they've encountered unexpected holes in the floor, missing stair rails and other hazards.
Thomas said the Orillia OPP is investigating the "deliberately set" fire. He noted the fire "was very minor" but led to "a lot of smoke in the building." That made checking the building for occupants "dangerous."
The owners of the building have been contacted, he added.
"The building was not secure when we got there," said Thomas, who noted there were open windows and other potential unsecured entry points.
Thomas said he and OPP officers would be returning to the site today to ensure it's been properly secured.
"We can issue an order" saying you must secure the building, but he said that step is usually not required and he doesn't expect it will be necessary in this case.
Mount Slaven was a public school until the building was deemed too expensive to repair by the Simcoe County District School Board.
The City of Orillia purchased the 50 Westmount Dr. building in 2011. It has been for sale several times and sold more than once - but has never been occupied.
Most recently, the provincial government announced the site would become home to a new retirement home. However, the owner of the building never returned calls about the project.
