Fire damages elementary school

SEFFNER - A fire at the McDonald Elementary School destroyed a classroom and caused heavy smoke damage early Saturday morning.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue was called to the school around 6:30 a.m. Firefighters say in addition to the classroom that were damaged, two-thirds of the building suffered moderate to heavy smoke damage.

An investigation as to what caused the fire is underway.

Firefighters say the classroom that was damaged was in the kindergarten wing of the school.

Maintenance crews are cleaning up the destruction, and administrators hope the fire will not affect the students too much.

"If we can get the smoke out in time to resume classes on Monday, if not look into an alternative site, we'll send a parent link out to the parents, letting them know exactly if we're going to be open, if we're going to be here, or if we're going to be at another site," said Assistant Superintendent Lewis Brinson.

"It's a close-knit community and we'll do whatever it takes in order to make sure that school is in session for our kids on Monday, " added school principal Dave McMeen.

Nearly 40 firefighters were needed to bring the fire under control.