Fire Heavily Damages Lulu M. Ross Elementary in Milford, Delaware, and Closes Two Schools for the Week

A three-alarm fire early Sunday heavily damaged Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in Milford, Delaware, and left two elementary schools without classes on Monday, according to Delaware Online/The News Journal.

The fire was first called in at about 4 a.m. on Sunday, October 25. Arriving crews saw fire through the roof of the nearly 70-year-old school, and it took about three hours to bring the blaze under control. Investigators said the fire started in the building’s Kent wing and spread to the lobby, library, and front office areas, where the district said it caused heavy damage. The exact cause is still under investigation, and no injuries were reported.

The Milford School District said there would be no in-person or remote classes for Ross students from October 26 through October 30. Neighboring Mispillion Elementary, which shares a campus and many resources with Ross, also had no classes on Monday because the fire knocked out fiberoptic connectivity. The district’s crisis team is meeting through the week to plan short-term and long-term responses for staff and students.

A community response

About 675 students in grades one through five attend Ross Elementary, which opened in 1957 and now has 34 classrooms and 44 teachers. The school was named for Lulu M. Ross, a first-grade teacher who taught in the Milford School District for 50 years.

Local businesses, churches, and nonprofits moved to help. Reformation Lutheran Church said its Kids Inc. daycare would be open during school hours for Ross families. Diamond State Dentistry said it was collecting school supplies, including pencils, crayons, notebooks, and folders. Black Sheep restaurant said it would donate 15 percent of sales from its October 30 Halloween Pub Crawl to the school, along with a collection box for money and a bin for nonperishable food for children who depend on school breakfast and lunch.

Officials react, and a polling place moves

Gov. Matt Meyer said the state was working directly with district leadership on alternate arrangements and a safe return to learning. “I am relieved that no civilians or firefighters were hurt,” Meyer said. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, U.S. Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Sarah McBride, and State Sen. Dave Wilson also issued statements of support for the school community.

Ross Elementary had been a designated polling place, with the general election set for November 3. The Department of Elections said voters in election district 36-01 will now vote at Mispillion Elementary School, at 311 Lovers Lane, next door to Ross. Early voting can be done at any early voting site in the voter’s county.

Reporting based on coverage by Delaware Online/The News Journal.