Claremont Middle School Fire Still Under Investigation in Oakland

A middle school fire in Oakland was still under investigation on Tuesday, a day after the cafeteria was gutted during a two-alarm fire.

Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint told NBC Bay Area by email that the cause of the fire is mysterious.

"There is the suggestion of forced entry into the building that caught fire," Flint said. "Oddly, there's also some evidence suggesting that whoever was inside the building tried to extinguish the fire, so it may have been accidental. So, while the fire is suspicious, no definitive conclusions have been reached."

Flint also said district officials are reviewing video surveillance, but so far, "nothing is meaningful."

Claremont Middle School on College Avenue next to the Rockridge BART station was open following the fire, which was reported about 1 a.m. Monday. The school sits directly next to a fire station, but firefighters were alerted to the blaze by drivers on the freeway who saw the flames. No one was injured during the blaze, which ripped through the campus on President's Day, when there was no school in session anyway.

Battalion Chief Geoff Hunter said the fire caused an estimated $1 million in damage to the cafeteria - the only building to have suffered any damage.

Bag lunches will be brought in for children who rely on the food this week. Next week, the district hopes to operate a temporary kitchen on campus.