Three-alarm fire destroys school under construction in Milton

MILTON, Mass. — An overnight fire destroyed a school under construction in Milton. No one was in the building at the time and no one was hurt, but the damage was done.

“That building has been there forever, so it’s kind of sad,” said Mazie Colton, a woman who lives nearby.

An orange glow lit up the Milton neighborhood overnight as flames consumed the soon-to-be preschool.

“I saw all the lights,” said Colton. “I went oh, what happened. So I came down and a little shocked, the whole thing, it was gone.”

Firefighters first got the call at 1:30 Tuesday morning for a fire at a building under construction on Central Ave. The issue for firefighters—trying to get through the gates and maneuver around the site, which gave the fire a good lead

“The conditions trying to get into the building because it’s under construction, the gates, and everything else, once they gained access they found the heavy fire in the attic that was way ahead of them already,” said Milton Fire Chief Chris Madden.

The building was previously a function hall for the Milton Hoosic Club and stood there for decades. The town assessor’s website says it was built in 1933.

“I’ve down the street for years,” said Nick Gray, of Milton. “My parents were members of this club when it was a club. It’s sad to see it burn down. You’re looking at it the same way I am. Nothing but chimneys.”

It was recently sold and some neighbors were glad the building was going to be preserved and turned into The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development.

“It was so nice that it was going to be a school, it would’ve been a beautiful school and hopefully it will still be a beautiful school,” said Jane Gannon of Milton.

Boston 25 News has reached out to the school for comment.

The fire chief says the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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