'There's a lot of history here': Geary Public Schools superintendent reflects on burned-down gymnasium

Cleanup efforts are underway at Geary High School after a fire destroyed the gymnasium and parts of the main building over the weekend.

The fire started Saturday night and burned into early Sunday morning. Geary Public Schools canceled classes Monday to assess the damage and develop a plan to complete the school year.

The fire caused the roof of the old gym to collapse and destroyed the band room, woodshop, and a classroom. The main high school building sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

According to district officials, the building was empty at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. Multiple fire departments from Blaine, Custer, and Kingfisher counties responded to the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Superintendent Sean Buchanan confirmed students will not return to classes in the building for the rest of the school year. However, he said administrators are working to resume classes as soon as possible.

“We'll meet with our teachers tomorrow to give them a sense of what has happened and where we are in that process,” Buchanan said. “We hope to have students back on-site Wednesday. That’s the goal.”

The destruction of the gymnasium is a significant loss for the Geary community, as the building holds decades of history and memories.

“It’s pretty shocking to see it in this condition, without a doubt,” Buchanan said. “There’s a lot of history here. There are a lot of memories here.”

Geary is home to the Geary Invitational, the oldest high school wrestling tournament in the country, where thousands of top wrestlers have competed.

“The tournament moved to a new gym up the road a little way, but it started here and existed here for decades,” Buchanan said.

The fire has prompted an outpouring of support from across the state.

“Our community members are reaching out and saying, ‘My grandpa wrestled in that room,’ or, ‘My uncle used to wrestle there,’” Buchanan said. “It’s amazing to see that tradition and history come to light. Everybody has a story about this building.”

Despite the devastation, Buchanan said the Geary community remains strong.

“We’re going to be OK. We’re going to be back, and we’re going to overcome this,” he said.

Geary Public Schools plans to release more details in the coming days about how the rest of the school year will proceed, as well as plans to rebuild.