STAFFORD — Arson is suspected as the probable cause of a fire that destroyed the vacant Stafford High School building, owned by a Texan.
The fire appears to have been ignited by someone at the scene.
Stafford Police Chief Doug Brown said that since said no utilities were connected to the building, the fire could not have been electrical. No thunderstorms were present at the time, so the fire was also not triggered by lightning.
“The fire is of a suspicious nature,” Brown said. “Our officers are rounding up information in the investigation.
Brown reports information will be forwarded to the state fire marshal. The initial report just after 10 p.m. Saturday, when an on-duty Stafford officer reported flames on the third floor of the building. The Stafford fire department is located next door to the school.
The 14-man Stafford Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from St. John and Hudson and an aerial truck was called from Great Bend.
North winds were gusting from an estimated 30-40 mph, blowing embers and debris south of the building. The embers triggered several nearby grass fires across the city, but no buildings were damaged.
“The fire started on the third floor,” Brown said. “There was a lot of cabinitry in the library area. The aerial truck knocked down the embers and helped a lot.”  
Brown considers the site to be extremely hazardous. It’s possible the Stafford city council would have to vote to remediate the situation in the near future.
Stafford Fire Chief Jerry Sanders said it took more than eight hours to extinguish the fire. The roof and the third and second floors collapsed.
The roof of the three-story brick building, as well as most of the third floor, collapsed. Debris had tumbled down to the front door of the building. Some walls were pushed out when the roof and beams fell. The west side of the three-story portion of the building collapsed.
The roof of the two-story auditorium on the west side of the building was burned away, and wooden roof beams were sagging as smoke continued to rise from the rubble. At the bottom of the rubble, the only things recognizable were the metal frames of the auditorium seating.
The 1916 Stafford High School, which has been vacant since a new school was built in 1999.
Marion Hearn, president of the Stafford County Historical Society, said a book showing the history of Stafford High School showed the 17-room building was built in 1916 for $35,000. The site housed a school built in 1887 that was torn down after lightning damage in 1913.
The owner of the property at 1012 Park appraised at $125,000 by Stafford County, is Shin Ho “Sam” Kim, Carrolltown, Texas. In 2009, the building was sold to a Kim. The building had fallen into disrepair. Vandalism and graffiti had damaged some inside walls.
The City of Irving settled a purchase and sale agreement in furtherance of settlement of a lawsuit with Shin Ho “Sam” Kim, doing business as Texas Lunch Box, and purchased the property at 1923 Senter Road for $155,000 in 2011.

Kim had filed a lawsuit against the City of Irving in 2007 after he was ordered to demolish a building that he planned to turn into a restaurant. Kim appealed the demolition order to district court and it took four years to settle the suit. The city agreed to pay Kim for the property to settle the lawsuit