The Battle Creek Fire Department extinguished a fire at the vacant Southwest Junior High School for the fourth time in 2021.

Get our free mobile app

For the fourth time this year, the Battle Creek Fire Department was called to the old Southwest Junior High School building for a blaze. The call came at 9:40 a.m. Sunday, December 5, 2021.

Multiple crews responded to the fire at 390 South Washington Avenue. The first crews on the scene found smoke coming from a former classroom window on the back of the large concrete building, according to a release from the Battle Creek Fire Department.

Firefighters immediately began dousing the flames from the interior of the building and quickly brought the fire under control.

Fire crews remained on the scene for a time after the fire was under control to ensure the blaze was thoroughly extinguished. The fire and its cause remain under investigation by Battle Creek Fire Marshall Quincy Jones.

Timeline of Fires at the vacant Southwestern Junior High School

• April 22, 2021: Battle Creek firefighters responded to the former Southwestern Junior High on South Washington Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. on April 22nd. The fire was located on the second floor of the three-story building and was later identified as the band room.
• April 23, 2021: The Battle Creek Fire Department was called back to the vacant school after flames were reignited.
• July 11, 2021: The building was found on fire. Two people were brought in for questioning but no charges were issued. 

The vacant property appears still to be owned by Battle Creek Public Schools. The former junior high closed in 2009. The property was to be developed into apartments in 2016 but the deal was never finalized.

Check out photos from the initial fire below.