Phoenix home fire destroys roof, damages child care

A house was badly damaged after catching on fire near 12th Street and Fillmore Street early Thursday morning.

The fire burned the entire roof and firefighters are considering the home a total loss.

No one was home when the fire started and firefighters think the home may have been vacated.

Heat exposure to a child care next door caused windows to break in the office area and possibly in some classrooms.

Because Wee Care Child Development was damaged so significantly, they are closing the center Thursday and Friday for repairs. In addition to blown out windows, the center has water damage inside, a hole in the ceiling and white foam outside left over from fire extinguishers.

"Really sad, really upset," said Betty Cordova, Director of Wee Care Child Development. "The first thing that comes to my mind are the parents. It's low income, our funds are very low and this is going to cost."

The center has insurance, so now it's just a matter of cleaning up and getting everything fixed. They hope to reopen next week.

Phoenix firefighters said they think someone purposely set the fire. The investigation is ongoing.