JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a "suspicious" fire at an abandoned school on Jacksonville's Eastside.
A spokesperson for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said when firefighters arrived at the old Public School No. 8 around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, smoke was coming from the building. The spokesperson said the fire was started in several spots inside the building.
Stan Jordan attended school in the building that's more than 100 years old. He also was the principal there from 1968 to 1971. Jordan said he has watched the school, close down, fall apart and get vandalized in recent years.
"There’s a certain emotional identity I have with that school," he said. “I watched it to continue to deteriorate and be vandalized and it’s an eyesore."
"It's a sense of pride for that community and when I was principal we tried to make it kind of the intersection of hope and inspiration and education," Jordan said.
Jordan explained while he's heartbroken hearing the news of the fire, he's not surprised. He said he called the school system just three weeks ago and asked about building and property maintenance. Duval County Public Schools doesn't own the property, but Jordan said the facility director he spoke with agreed with him that it needed to be maintained.
“This situation has preempted my mission of raising the awareness because this is heavy this is serious and the community in that area, they don’t need this. They need hope and inspiration and something exciting in the community," Jordan said.
Jordan plans to go to the school board meeting in July to talk about the building. He served on the school board for 17 years.
First Coast News reached out to DCPS regarding the fire and the maintenance issues Jordan brought up. FCN received an automated email reply that offices would be closed for Memorial Day.