Blaze destroys Fryeburg gym, athletic gear, but not season
By Associated Press
FRYEBURG, Maine – Fryeburg Academy’s gymnasium was gutted by a fire that also consumed the private school’s athletic equipment and uniforms. But worries that the fall sports schedule would be cut short have been put to rest by Headmaster Dan Lee.
“There won’t be anything that gets canceled because of this fire, “said Lee. “We’re going to make everything go.”
No one was hurt in Wednesday’s fire at the academy’s Harvey Dow Gibson Recreation Center. Fryeburg and surrounding towns send their public high school students to the school, which has an enrollment of 690.
After the fire, Fryeburg Academy Athletic Director Todd Gallagher said there were doubts the school would be able to complete this fall’s football schedule. Gallagher’s office was also destroyed in the blaze.
But headmaster Lee said other schools quickly offered to make sure the Fryeburg players can suit up for the rest of the season. The first team to make an offer was Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Fryeburg’s opponent in its homecoming football game Saturday.
Lee said the Fryeburg team will take the field behind the remains of its gym, with players dressed in “multicolored uniforms on loan from schools all over Maine.”
The Fryeburg Fire Department received a report that the gymnasium was on fire at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Fire Chief Ozzie Sheaff said flames were shooting out the windows when firefighters arrived and there was no chance of saving the building. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $1.5 million in losses.
Besides losing the gym and basketball court, the school lost locker rooms, a wrestling room and a stage where generations of students performed plays and musicals. The homecoming dance will now be held at a pavilion at the Fryeburg Fair Grounds.
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