ST. JOSEPH — On Thursday, St. Joseph-Ogden High School Superintendent Jim Acklin finished his "General State Aid" report, the one that determines how much money the school will get from the state for the coming year.

That task completed, he was planning to spend Friday working on next year's district budget and allowing himself to think about a long weekend with his family in Indiana.

Instead, a fire that destroyed the high school's bus barn on North Main Street and most of its contents Thursday night dictated a different agenda for him Friday and probably for the next several weeks.

"July is going to take on a new flavor for me," said Acklin, a school superintendent for eight years, the last four at St. Joseph-Ogden. "I told my wife I could have gone the whole of my career without this happening."

St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District Chief Russell Chism said area fire investigators believe the cause of the blaze, which started about 6 p.m. Thursday, was an electrical problem. They were going to present their findings to the district's insurance company investigators and let the insurance experts determine a cause.

Not long after the flames were out Thursday, Acklin and his staff were figuring out what was lost, what could be salvaged and what needed immediate attention.

Among the losses he knew for sure Friday: the 40-by-100 foot metal building; four full-size buses; one short bus; a 2008 Chevrolet Impala used for driver's education training; two Kubota zero-turning-radius lawn mowers; a truck used for hauling and snow removal; three tractors, including one that local FFA members were planning to restore; a Mule; a Gator; hurdles, pole-vaulting equipment and high-jump standards; air compressors; power washers; tools; the inventory for the concession stand; and equipment to paint the football field.

"I'm going to say it will be between a $1 million and $2 million loss. It's $400,000 in buses alone," said Acklin. who tried to remain positive with the observation that no person was hurt.

"It's a pretty helpless feeling when you stand there watching everything go up in flames," he said.

Acklin did just that, as he was at the school watching his son play baseball when the fire started. He was about to leave to go watch his daughter's ball game in Homer when he saw the black smoke.

"It could have been worse. The fire department did an excellent job making sure it didn't spread to the school building, which is literally within spitting distance."

After talking with insurance representatives, the next item on Acklin's to-do list Friday was trying to find a replacement car for driver's education. The Impala that burned was the only driver's ed car and was in use daily during the school year and the summer.

"We've already lost one day. Ultimately, you get more and more kids backed up, and it feeds over into your next school year," he said.

Early Friday, he contacted the dealer the district bought the Impala from to be on the lookout for a similar replacement. Meantime, officials hope to take the most recently retired car, which is still being used by the district, put the instructor's brake back in it, and return it to service within a week or two.

Among other items that will need quick attention are keeping up with grounds maintenance.

The village of St. Joseph has offered to loan mowing equipment to the school.

"Even if we had all the (insurance) money (right away), you can't go out and buy it because we have nowhere to put it where we can secure it," he said.

Also near the top of the list is getting the football field ready for football camp in July. The down markers and equipment to paint the field were destroyed.

Acklin said the school booster club was in the process of inventorying about $10,000 worth of merchandise when the fire started. He wasn't sure how much of that may have been lost.

There was "light damage" to a sixth bus and to a band trailer but no damage to the instruments or band equipment inside.

Acklin said the district's local insurance representative was at the school Thursday night and explained that Acklin would probably be dealing with one representative for the vehicles and another for the building and contents.

In a best-case scenario, Acklin said he would like to have a building back up before the start of school in late August.