THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 23, 1995 TAG: 9509230250
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
The investigation into a fire at Princess Anne High School has slowed to a crawl, three weeks after an arsonist touched off the worst school fire in the city's history.
With no immediate arrests in sight, arson investigators are changing their approach in an effort to spring new leads in a case that fire department officials conceded Friday will be hard to solve.
``We're interviewing everyone whose name comes up. But do we have a prime suspect? No, we do not,'' said Harry E. Diezel, chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
``It's a difficult fire investigation with no witnesses, which is generally the case with arson,'' Diezel added. ``All you can do is set your teeth in it bulldog fashion and hang on, hoping that something positive turns up. Generally, it will. You very seldom get a quick resolution on arson. I wish we did.''
Meanwhile, on Thursday and Friday, a handful of teachers were allowed back into sections of the school that were spared the worst of the damage but had been closed until asbestos was removed.
Gina Y. Faison, 35, a science teacher, got a chance to remove dozens of textbooks that had been locked up in her second-floor classroom since late August.
``I'm glad we were able to save these materials,'' Faison said. ``Now we can get these textbooks back in the hands to students. I feel blessed that they weren't lost.''
Her classroom looked much as it did the week before the fire started. Rows of microscopes filled several tables; aquariums and terrariums sat near the windows.
The chance to return helped Faison and other teachers bring to a close a troubling chapter in their careers at Princess Anne. ``The hard part,'' she said of her time away from the classroom, ``was not knowing.''
Given that the Sept. 1 fire took place four days before the start of school, speculation has arisen that a student was the probable instigator. Authorities admit they have talked to some students, but they stop short of saying whether the investigation is centering on them.
``These crimes are hard to solve because generally you don't have any witnesses,'' said Battalion Chief Mike Wade, the department's spokesman and a 14-year veteran of arson investigations.
``Sometimes it's easy to identify someone, if they have a logical motive. But when you have over 2,000 kids at the school there may be many who have a reason in mind, even though it may not make much sense to adults.''
Department officials have purposefully released few details about the fire, saying only that it started on the second floor near the library after someone broke into the locked building.
They have remained silent on the exact cause, how the school's security was breached, and whether there is any evidence that would point to suspects.
``It's not stalled, but we are going in another direction right now,'' Wade said. ``In the initial approach, we had interviews with folks. You might say we had a nice, friendly chat with them. You know, `Where were you that night? What were you doing?' We were testing the alibis of people who we've received tips about.''
No one has been advised of their constitutional right to remain silent and seek the advice of a lawyer, he said.
``It may be now that instead of visiting people, we may start asking them to visit with us, to get them on our turf,'' Wade said. ``When they're at home among familiar surroundings they have the advantage.''
While much evidence was destroyed in the fire - which consumed or damaged 28 classrooms, the library, the main office and cafeteria - not all evidence was lost, Wade said.
``There is always something left, if you know where to look for it,'' Wade said. ``That is the only advantage we have. Unfortunately, some of our investigations drag on and on.''
Tony Arnold, the school system's director of facilities, planning and construction, said the school system remains focused on getting the usable portions of Princess Anne back in use.
Given this approach, little work has begun in the ``200 hall,'' the area most heavily damaged by the fire. Arnold said inspections by architects and engineers continued throughout the week and that plans are being drawn up to outline options for repair or demolition.
``By next week, we'll know what to do,'' he said. MEMO: Anyone with information about the Sept. 1 fire at Princess Anne High
School is asked to call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 427-0000. A
reward of up to $1,000 is offered for information that leads to an
arrest or conviction.
KEYWORDS: FIRE ARSON PRINCESS ANNE HIGH SCHOOL by CNB