Classes at Clairemont High School were canceled Wednesday following an early morning break-in and a suspected arson fire at the campus.
School police officers notified San Diego police after someone tripped a silent alarm on the campus at 4150 Ute Drive around 4:45 a.m., San Diego police Officer Humberto Hernandez said.
They spotted two bicycles, an open door and a person running inside the school, Hernandez said. One person was later taken into custody. It was not immediately clear if that suspect was a student.
Officers smelled smoke during a subsequent search and called for firefighters and the Metro Arson Strike Team shortly after 6 a.m., according to police and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The fire in one of the classrooms was reported as knocked down about 15 minutes later, fire officials said. It was confined to a custodial closet in a science lab.
Hazmat personnel were consulted, but were not sent to the campus, a fire dispatcher said. The fire's official cause remained under investigation, but arson was suspected, she said.
Students and staffers arriving at the school were diverted onto its football field. School officials later decided to cancel classes for the day.
The San Diego Unified School District said parents would be notified as to when they could pick up their children.
