The blaze, which has been ruled accidental in nature, started as the result of either an audio/video or cleaning device malfunctioning, said O’Hearn, adding that the next phase of the investigation will involve determining exactly which one of those devices malfunctioned and how.

“The fire investigation was a collaborative effort between the Pocatello Fire Department, Pocatello Police Department, State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,” he said. “The scope of the investigation was to determine the origin and cause of the fire, as well as to rule out any criminal activity. The origin was located near the north wall of the stage in the cafeteria and the cause was electrical in nature due to faulty equipment. The fire was definitively ruled as accidental in nature.”

O’Hearn thanked all of the first responders for their efforts, adding that they played a huge role in a “significant amount of property being saved.”

Jonathan Balls, the School District 25 director of business operations, provided an update on the damage to the building. The damaged locations inside of the D Wing included the band room, choir room, cafeteria, main gym, locker rooms and the weight room, he said. He also advised the local community to stay away from the damaged building for their safety.

“The remaining portion of the building has varying degrees of water damage and possibly smoke damage as well,” Balls said. “There is a very heavy smoke smell in the entire building currently. We do have a security fence in place there and we ask everyone, community members, even our staff and students to please stay away from the site as there’s some potential danger there until we can assess that and mitigate that.”

Industrial hygienists are currently examining the building and testing for mold, asbestos and even lead, Balls said. Several engineers — electrical, mechanical and structural — are on site examining the building’s condition as well, he added.

O’Hearn said not every portion of the damaged building was equipped with a fire suppression system, but the hallway that contained the Hall of Fame memorabilia did have a sprinkler system installed and it did activate, which helped firefighters get the large blaze under control.

“We have several concerns with the electrical and the plumbing systems,” Balls said. “As we have to identify and basically terminate some of those lines, our biggest fear or challenge that we want to make sure we overcome is that when we energize these systems that we don’t cause an additional issue or have additional accidents there.”

Balls said the building was fully insured and the district is working with its insurance company to calculate the total cost of the loss.

The main concern for School District 25 officials, including spokesperson Courtney Fisher and Superintendent Doug Howell, is providing Highland High School students with the best possible outcomes for the last remaining six weeks of school.

“Our overarching goal is to proceed with learning and with social and extracurricular activities as best we can to not disrupt that educational experience for our kids,” Howell said. “I would just like to give one more thank you to our local businesses, religious organizations and all of our elected officials from the local and state level, who have been on the phone with many of us throughout the weekend, multiple times. They are just always just so willing to offer their assistance and support. … I know that the Ram fam, and everyone else in the greater Pocatello and Chubbuck area will just be there all the way through this experience with us.”

Howell said the process of rebounding after this fire is a marathon, not a sprint and that based on previous projects the district has recently undertaken he estimates it will take about a year or two to rebuild the damaged facilities at Highland.

Fisher said Highland students will return to school Tuesday in a remote learning capacity that will remain in place through at least Friday. The district is in the process of relocating Highland High School administration into the newly acquired former Allstate building, known as the Portneuf Valley Technical Education & Career Campus. The district is also working to finalize a plan for food distribution to occur at that building this week.

Howell said the Portneuf Valley Technical Education & Career Campus houses five large classrooms and the acoustics inside of the main call center is conducive to a classroom environment and the district is working to establish a plan to try and locate some in-person classes at that facility before the end of the school year to give students some social interaction in this trying time.

“We certainly know again from COVID times that virtual learning, remote learning and hybrid learning is not best for us and for our kids,” Howell said. “We want to take advantage of that space that we have available. A little bonus that we learned yesterday, already the acoustics in that space are good as far as the sound transmitting from one space to another. … We’re going to see if we can take advantage of that to allow more learners to be in there. Again, we want to create those opportunities for interaction. This is the difference between COVID times and emergency times in that we can still create those face-to-face opportunities. We will do our absolute best for the kids and our staff to make those connections.

Fisher said it’s imperative for those affiliated with Highland High School to sign up for emergency alerts through the district’s Infinite Campus system.

“This week, all updates will continue to be communicated first and foremost directly to our Highland families and our staff,” she said. “And then we also know the community remains invested in this process and interested in what plans we have moving forward. I really encourage all of our Highland families to make sure that they’re signed up for our emergency notification system that’s through Infinite Campus. If you have any questions about whether you are not signed up for those emergency notifications, please contact the district office and we will get you taken care of.”

Fisher reminded the community that there is currently not any need for fundraising, but acknowledged there is interest from the community to donate resources toward the rebuild and directed individuals to donate money to School District 25 Education Foundation or the Highland Foundation directly to ensure all money is accounted for properly.

There is, however, a group of local residents that have launched a fundraising and donation committee, Rebuilding Highland’s Music Department, to try and obtain musical instruments that were lost in the blaze so that students in choir, band and orchestra can participate in previously scheduled spring concerts or performances.

The effort is being spearheaded by Natalie Cluff, the parent of a Highland band student; Shelby Murdock, owner of Snake River Strings; and Misty Ralphs, the owner of Misty Ralphs Music Studio.

“Every instrument in that school, gone,” Ralphs wrote in a Sunday Facebook post about the fundraiser. “As a music teacher and teenager that spent hours in the fine arts portion of my high school, I am gutted knowing that these high schoolers that lost so much during COVID are losing their second home in those music rooms.”

Though not an effort officially sanctioned by the district, Cluff said the group has established a Venmo account to accept monetary donations and will work with the district to ensure the money is distributed to the appropriate department through the correct channels.

So far, the group has raised $700 and have had several instruments donated. Those interested in donating an instrument can drop it off at Snake River Strings, 950 E. Clark St. Suite 220 in Pocatello, or Misty Ralphs Music Studio, 4990 Valenty Rd. Suite I in Chubbuck. Additionally, Cluff said Mike’s Music in Pocatello has agreed to donate time and necessary resources to ensure all donated instruments are in working order before they are provided to students.

A list of the needed instruments and materials can be found on the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/RebuildingHighlandsMusicDepartment. Cluff said in addition to what is listed, the committee is looking for guitars, percussion instruments and music stands.

In spite of the tragedy at Highland on Friday, a record number of students attended the prom hosted at Idaho State University on Saturday, said Highland principal Brad Wallace, adding that the event was a testament to the resiliency of the Ram family.

“It was like a roller coaster of a weekend with a tragedy and then a super fun time at prom,” Wallace said. “We were grateful to ISU for providing that for us. We had a record number of students attend prom, so it was a good time to be able to see them and connect with them. It inspired us to move forward and to provide the best education we can for them finishing out the school year.”