LAKEWOOD - Bear Creek High School has canceled classes for the rest of the week as it works to repair three classrooms damaged by smoke and water from a fire Saturday.

The school's scheduled spring break is next week, with students returning on April 2.

"We're trying to get them fixed as quickly as possible, but we do have a backup plan to ensure students that they have a classroom when they come back on April 2," Principal Phyllis Emrich said.

A fire started in the art room about 11 p.m. Saturday and spread to one other classroom. Another classroom nearby suffered water and smoke damage.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, although the kiln in the art room has been ruled out as the source.

No estimate of damage was available Tuesday.

"There was a lot of damage to the electrical system and the heating and air-conditioning system," said Cindy Matthews, spokeswoman for West Metro Fire. "It was a relatively small fire but the impact was so huge."

Emrich said a third classroom, at the other end of the building, was flooded when the water boiler near the room stopped working because of changing water pressure caused by fire hose connections.

About half of the lockers along the hallway of the burn area have to be emptied and cleaned.

All of the books in the library will have to be hand cleaned and the ceiling tiles will have to be scrubbed, Emrich said.

"The soot and smoke just spread out into the majority of the wing," she said.

The art room itself won't be repaired and reopened until August.

"We really do not have much of a choice," said Emrich. "There is no way to have that ready. The art teachers have been challenged to be extremely creative for the ceramics classes for the remainder of the year."

Students will be required to attend classes on April 2 and April 27, originally scheduled as days off, to make up for the lost time this week.

"I don't think the kids are jumping up and down for joy right now," she said of the extra time off.

fongt@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5489