Providence firefighters finish extinguishing a fire in the former Grove Street School, on Grove Street in Providence, off Broadway, behind the Tarro Funeral Home on Broadway. The Tarros own the school building.

The Providence Journal/ Mary Murphy Mary Murphy

PROVIDENCE — A fire broke out in the old Grove Street School yesterday morning, and the Fire Department’s arson unit is investigating the cause of the blaze.

James Taylor, the Fire Department’s chief of communications, said the fire began at 11:45 a.m. in either the basement or the first floor and was brought under control at 12:32 p.m. There were no injuries and the extent of the damage was unknown.

Meanwhile, the City of Providence is continuing to pursue its suit against the owners of the building, the Tarro family, which operates A. Tarro & Sons Funeral Home across the street and is interested in putting additional parking on the site of the former elementary school. The Tarro family bought the building from the city at auction in 1982 and wants to raze it.

In early February, members of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association notified the police of a bulldozer tearing into the historical structure, which, in 2002, the Providence Preservation Society placed on its list of 10 most endangered buildings.

The police arrived and so did Mayor David N. Cicilline, who promised to take all possible action against the Tarros and the demolition company, Bilray Demolition Co., of Johnston. The city obtained a court order prohibiting any further demolition, arguing that neither Bilray, nor the owners, had received a permit to do the work. The city also required that a large cover be placed over the section of the building where demolition had begun, to minimize weather damage.

The city hired lawyer Deming Sherman, of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, to avoid a conflict of interest because one of the building’s owners, Michael A. Tarro, is an assistant city solicitor in Providence. He had earlier this year taken over the operation of the funeral home, after the death of a brother, Stephen.

Sherman filed a lawsuit on the city’s behalf that would require the owners to restore the building to its original condition.

Yesterday, Sherman said the trial is scheduled for Sept. 17 in Superior Court. The trial was delayed after Stephen Tarro’s death in March.

Sherman said the 106-year-old school is protected by the city’s historic district ordinance and can’t be demolished without the approval of the local historic district commission. The owners, he said, did not seek permission to tear down the building from either the commission or the building inspector.

“We still care about the building and see great potential for its restoration,” said Kari Lang, executive director of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association. “It was the neighbors who called in and reported the fire.”

The former school, which closed in 1975, is prized by preservationists for its architecture. In 2002, the Providence Preservation Society wrote that it “retains elegant architectural forms like brick quoins and (an ornamental) cornice.”

lborg@projo.com