Fire at noon today destroyed a small brick veneer school building at Minford which housed two sections of the first grade.

All children were on the playground prior to the starting of afternoon classes when the fire was discovered near the top of the building, occupied only about a week ago by the smaller children.

It had been a frame structure but in recent weeks was covered with brick.  The flames wiped out the interior frame construction and sections of the brick walls fell.

The building was near the new high school but far enough away to prevent flames from reaching the larger structure.

The fire was discovered in time to permit carrying of all desks and books from the burning building.

Electricians completed installation of wiring the building this morning.  Cause of the fire has not been determined.

Headline and text from The Portsmouth Times, Friday, September 27, 1940, p. 2.

Fifty-eight first grade pupils of the Minford school are to be assigned classroom space in the large high school building as a result of the fire which destroyed a two-room brick veneer structure on the Minford school grounds at noon Thursday.

Teachers, and older pupils managed to save all desks, books, wraps and lunchboxes of pupils.  The teachers and pupils also formed bucket brigades and used fire extinguishers in an effort to check the blaze, which started while the pupils were on the playgrounds.

The building was modernized the last several months.  An old stucco building was covered with brick and a modern $740 steam heating plant was installed and placed in use Thursday.

A modern mechanical drawing room was made ready at the high school recently and this space will have to be used for classroom needs because of the crowding of teh 52 first graders into the building.

The two-room building was wired for electricity and the current was "cut in" about  hour before the fire was discovered in the attic of the building.

The school board carried some insurance on the structure.