Verona, fire at the Dante Alighieri middle school library

Verona, above, on the first floor, the windows of the library without glass and the blackness left by the fire. Below, in the courtyard, books, chairs and furniture now burnt. This is what remains this morning of the fire that broke out last night at the Dante Alighieri schools in via Porta Catena.

They were approximately 23.25 when a patrol of the Local police, not far away for neighborhood checks, is intervened immediately. A resident had in fact alerted the station to report a trash can on fire, without realizing that the actual fire was a few meters away. To burn the school library, flames that remained limited inside the closed room, and they only affected the cypress out the back windows and attics. The immediate arrival of Fire fighters it was providential for contain i damage. The rest of the school, in fact, was not affected. Furnishings, classrooms, materials left by the boys medium, everything is intact, even in the rooms close to the library.

On site, in the night, also arrived investigative unit of the Police Headquarters who is carrying out the investigations to check theorigin of the fire. And the dynamics of facts. Around the school several break-in attempts. Some unsuccessful, as from the main door whose glass is shatterproof and therefore they did not fall although we are cracks clearly visible. Others instead scored, at windows at the back. The Local police is recovering all the video from cameras in the area to check the images. In progress structural checks on the building, currently under seizure.

At the first light of dawn, the head teacher Giovanni Petterlini notified all families and teachers. Suspended for today the lessons, but the organizational machine is already at work resume from tomorrow ordinary activity. Other communications on the reorganization of the school service will follow. There are around one hundred students who attend the school, for a total of 5 classes, two of which are currently in distance teaching.

The school is also home to the Copy di Verona, il Provincial Center for Adult Education, And Cea, Ugo Zannoni Artistic Education Center (whose lessons were currently suspended due to Covid).

The mayor was on site this morning Federico Sboarina, the education councilors Maria Daniela Maellare, to Public Works Luca Zanotto and Security Marco PadovaniThe commander of the local police was also present Luigi Altamura.

"A very serious act, almost certainly malicious, the investigations will continue until we find the perpetrator - said the mayor, after seeing the inside of the school -. This is not only an act of vandalism, someone deliberately set fire to some books, this is even more worrying. Fortunately, the timely intervention of the local police and fire brigade meant that the fire did not spread. Another ten minutes and, given the power of the flames, it could have spread throughout the school. Thus, however, the damage to the room used as a library, whose door was closed, was contained. Fortunately, the outcome was contained thanks to the mix of factors that allow us to guarantee safety: collaboration from citizens, officers on patrol on site and the school director who is highly efficient in limiting inconvenience to users. The neighborhood is constantly being monitored, in fact our local police patrol was nearby, we are already checking all the images from the cameras to get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible. In the meantime, the primary objective is not to make students miss lessons, also given the already complex period due to the pandemic. In the shortest possible time, the area of ​​the burned school will be isolated and the other school spaces will be able to be used. It will take a few days to secure the school and conclude the investigations and static checks, which is why we are looking for other classrooms in order to move the students and get them back in attendance as early as tomorrow".

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