A 15-year-old girl was set on fire by a fellow student at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon on Thursday, according to police.
“The suspect we have in custody started the other victim on fire,” Saskatoon Police Service Sgt. Ken Kane told reporters at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The incident happened over the noon hour.
Teachers helped extinguish the blaze, Kane said. The 15-year-old victim was transported to hospital with what are believed to be serious injuries. One teacher was also taken to hospital.
Kane said the victim’s parents are with her, but there was no update on her condition.
After the incident, a school resource officer (SRO) who was already on scene for a different matter arrested a 14-year-old female suspect immediately. Other police, fire and ambulance crews arrived shortly after, Kane said.
Sgt. Ken Kane spoke at a news conference about an alleged assault by fire that sent a 15-year-old girl to hospital and shut down Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon Thursday afternoon. A 14-year-old girl is in custody.
SROs will continue to work closely with school board officials as the investigation continues.
Kane said the suspect remains in custody and that it’s unclear what charges might be laid or when that could occur.
“This investigation is obviously very early and ongoing,” he said.
He said police are working with the school division to share information and “ensure staff and students are cared for.”
Kane said it’s also been difficult on the officer and others who responded.
“The mood in our office is quite low,” he said. “This is not something we ever expected.”
No class on Friday
On Thursday afternoon, Evan Hardy Collegiate sent a letter to parents saying there would be no class on Friday and a scheduled football game was cancelled. Students will be permitted to pick up any belongings and officials hope to resume regular classes as soon as possible, the letter says.
“At school we will continue to provide a safe, caring and compassionate learning environment. When school resumes, we will maintain daily schedules and routines as much as possible, as this provides a sense of safety, security and comfort. We will also have additional counselling support at the school to respond to students’ needs,” read the statement.
Curtis Tweet is a parent whose daughter attends Evan Hardy. He questioned why there isn’t more security in the schools.
“It’s just gonna get worse and worse year after year. Like how many more kids are gonna get hurt? How many more kids [are going] to die before you hire security?” Tweet asked.
“There’s no safe place to be in the city. I wouldn’t classify school safe anywhere because we allow this to happen.”
Tweet said it’s one of the worst incidents he can recall happening in Saskatoon. He plans to take his daughter to the lake in Friday to spend time with her.