A Saturday afternoon fire at Maple Ridge Secondary school (MRSS) is being investigated as suspicious by Ridge Meadows RCMP.

Fire crews were called to the school at 21911 122nd Avenue around 5 p.m. on Sept. 25.

Maple Ridge Deputy Fire Chief Geoff Spriggs said it was initially reported as a commercial structure fire, which meant the tower truck was dispatched.

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Once on scene, the first unit determined the fire was located in a wooden staircase in the back of a school building and started a fire attack.

“It [the fire] didn’t get into the structure,” Spriggs said.

A second fire truck was dispatched to the scene to aid with mopping up.

Spriggs said the fire crew reported the fire as suspicious, and the investigation has been taken over by the RCMP, which advised the Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows News that an investigation is in progress.

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MRSS can accommodate 1,300 students from grades 8 to 12.

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