Post Falls Church Fire Destroys School, Classes Set to Resume Next Week

Dan Hegeland was asleep when his March 15 birthday became the worst morning of his professional life. Around 4:30 a.m., his son Luke, who lives in the parsonage across the parking lot from The River Church in Post Falls, woke to find the building burning. The 45,000-square-foot structure housed River Tech School of Performing Arts & Technology, the Christian preschool Little Explorers Learning Center, and The River Church congregation.

"It was unbelievable," Hegeland said. "I got in the car, I think I was wearing my slippers and drove straight to the school."

The fire gutted the backside of the building where both schools operated. From the street, the front of the church looks largely untouched, but the interior damage is extensive. Flames reached part of the sanctuary, and water used to suppress the fire caused significant additional damage throughout. Every desk, chair, book, musical instrument, and piece of school equipment is ruined. Investigators doubt much of anything inside can be salvaged.

Jill Verburg, who owns Little Explorers Learning Center, received a phone call in the early morning hours and drove to the scene hoping for a false alarm. "Driving up and seeing all of those flames right above our section was disheartening and very sad," she said.

The ATF and the Idaho State Fire Marshal's Office are jointly investigating the cause. Tyrel Shaw, a deputy fire marshal with the state of Idaho, confirmed the investigation is ongoing and declined further comment. The fire marshal's office is keeping the building closed while the probe continues. One church member told KXLY she fears the structure will ultimately have to be torn down given the extent of the damage.

Despite losing all physical materials, Hegeland framed the loss in terms of what survived. "The building burnt down, but we're alive and well," he said. "It was a building that burnt, and it was all of our materials, desks, chairs, books, instruments, all of it is gone, but those are materials that can be recovered. The school is the people, and we're all here."

River Tech serves roughly 75 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, offering performing arts, science, social studies, life skills, and technology classes. Parents can enroll students one day per week for $130 a month or full-time for around $700 a month. A separate fundraiser has been established for the school online. Little Explorers parents have already raised nearly $3,000 through a GoFundMe, with families reaching out through the night to offer trucks, trailers, and volunteer labor for when a new space is found.

Verburg described the outpouring: "They've sent us messages all night long, 'what can we do for you? When you find a new space, we've got a truck, we've got a trailer, we're willing to come do whatever to help you out.'"

Hegeland spent Tuesday touring potential temporary venues and said he has been impressed by community members offering buildings and resources. He aims to have River Tech's 75 students back in class within the next week or two.

Luke Hegeland noted that even on the morning of the fire, the River Church congregation gathered in the parking lot rather than stay home. "It was a Sunday morning and the congregation still showed up at the parking lot and we had a time of prayer and worship," he said.

Sarah Williams, a River Church member who watched the blaze, captured the immediate weight of the loss: "As we were watching the flames, we were thinking about all of the things that were not going to happen and had to be rescheduled or changed, because we knew we were not going to be able to go back into that building."

The investigation into the cause remains active, with no timeline given for when owners may be permitted back inside.