AVHS Small Gym Burns, School Loses Power, Small Trash Fire Confirmed

PLEASANTON, CA — A fire tore through a small gymnasium at Amador Valley High School, causing a longstanding power outage that lasted Monday morning. The school’s main gym, and the rest of the campus, were unaffected.

The fire began Sunday at around 7:57 p.m., according to an initial report from the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

Two crews arrived to find a large amount of smoke coming from the gym, and the on-scene Battalion Chief requested a second-alarm response for further assistance.

Thirteen crews from LPFD and the Alameda County Fire Department extinguished the fire in about 30 minutes, according to LPFD.

Firefighters remained on-scene for several hours to search for potential exposures to other areas of the facility.

The extent of the damage is unclear, but photos from LPFD show significant damage along one corner of the gym's wall.

No injuries were reported, and the cause remains under investigation as of Monday evening.

The school's main gymnasium is unimpaired.

Despite a power outage that affected the entire campus Monday morning, classes were held as usual.

Numerous parents expressed under a PUSD Facebook post that they felt that school should not have opened without power, WiFi, or ventilation. Commenters also said they could not get through to the school phone lines, and alleged that they were not informed that the campus was without power until Monday morning.

Patch has reached out to PUSD about these concerns and about the estimated closure of the gym, but has not heard back.

At 12:37 p.m., PUSD posted that power was restored to all parts of campus.

Students reported smelling smoke, and the district confirmed that students started a fire in one of the bathroom waste bins, but it was an isolated incident unrelated to the other fire.

The district said that the nutrition section of the school never lost power, and lunch was not impacted.