ST. CLOUD -- Investigators have determined the cause of a fire that badly damaged a St. Cloud Catholic school on July 4th was accidental.

In a statement, St. Cloud Police and Fire investigators say the cause of the blaze at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School at 1615 11th Avenue South was from a pinched wire in a fluorescent light fixture which had been updated with LED bulbs.

Six different agencies combined for more than 100 investigative hours, including St. Cloud Police and Fire, the State Fire Marshall's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, electrical engineers and insurance investigators.

The building is not equipped with a sprinkler system.

The damage is estimated at between $1.1-million and $1.5-million making it St. Cloud's largest fire loss so far this year.

Clean up efforts are underway to get it ready for classes this fall.

 

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