By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LUTCHER – State Fire officials said Monday Lutcher High School’s football stadium has been deemed unusable for the remainder of the season after an intentionally set fire damaged portions of the facility.

The ruling from State Fire Marshal Butch Browning came two days after the Lutcher High School football team ended its season with a 32-25 loss to Teurlings Catholic High School of Lafayette in the Class 4A state football playoffs. That loss means the stadium will not be needed for any more games this year.

Browning said the home side stadium bleachers are unusable after fire ravaged four rooms and an old concession area under the bleachers. He said stress testing and structural repairs must be made before the stadium can be reopened. He said flames burned through the rooms, causing the seats and metal stands above to buckle and bend from the heat.

The fire, which caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to the structure and some equipment inside, occurred Nov. 15 just after 1:20 a.m. Browning said A Lutcher police officer doing a security patrol in the neighborhood around the stadium spotted the smoke and flames.

Browning said the Lutcher fire department arrived about 20 minutes after the fire was discovered, but firefighters could not get the fire completely under control until about 3:30 a.m. He said the damaged rooms under the bleachers had been converted to a weight room.

Browning said the fire was ignited in a storage area and spread to much of the underside of the stadium, raising serious concerns about structural safety of the bleachers and public seating areas.

“If the stadium had been needed for a game, there wouldn’t have been anything we could do to allow the school to use it for seating,” Browning said. “All parties involved agreed that shutting down the stadium is the best option.”

Browning said the fire has been classified as arson. He said fire investigators and deputies with the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office are seeking the public’s help in gathering information and suspects. A report from the Sheriff’s Office said doors to the concession area had been broken through.

It is not yet clear whether the stadium can be salvaged, Browning said. He indicated the St. James Parish School System would need to perform stress tests and a structural evaluation before any final determination can be made.

St. James Parish School Superintendent Alonzo Luce said in a statement the school system has hired an architect and a structural engineer to advise the School Board on how to proceed. He said state fire marshal’s engineers also were consulting with the School Board. He said the stadium is insured.

Luce said that, if needed, the board could seek voter approval for a bond issue on April 2 backed with an existing capital infrastructure tax millage. Luce said the possible bond issue would not require a tax increase.

The board already has planned to place other school tax propositions on the election ballot for renewal.

Luce said he would like the team to have a stadium ready for next football season and expects the board to make a decision in about month.

Browning said anyone having information that could help investigators locate the person or persons responsible for the fire should contact the State Fire Marshal’s Office at 225-925-4911.