POULSBO — A couch set alight outside Suquamish Elementary on Wednesday night was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

The building’s fire suppression system prevented the school from sustaining serious damage, and an alarm alerted emergency responders to the blaze at 11:51 p.m.

While en route, North Kitsap Fire & Rescue personnel learned that a neighbor had called, reporting flames on the northwestern corner of the school. The incident was upgraded to a full commercial fire response.

With firefighters from Suquamish’s Station 84 already out on a medical call, the first unit on scene had come from the Miller Bay Road headquarters. Crews found heavy smoke, water flowing from a sprinkler head and glowing embers in the remains of a discarded couch. As soon as fire officials determined that the blaze had not spread, additional resources from Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island Fire departments were returned to their stations.

About 100 square feet of the building’s exterior finish was blackened by the blaze. School officials believe that the couch was dumped by an unknown person in or near the building’s dumpster.

An investigator from the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office was called to the scene but was unable to find an accidental ignition source and has determined that the fire was set intentionally.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call Deputy Fire Marshal Ken Rice at 360-337-5777.