LAKEWOOD,Wash. -- The Lakewood Fire Department says a fire at Clover Park Technical College was deliberately set.

Investigators with the Lakewood Police Department said they found fire-starting chemicals in the rubble of the portable classroom.

“Yes, it appears it is an arson fire,” said Haley McCurdy of the Lakewood Fire Department.

The two-alarm fire raged for hours early Wednesday morning at a Lakewood technical college. The fire left the classroom gutted and charred.

Lisa Colombini-Hyke teaches in the classroom that was destroyed -- her office is gone as well.

“I'd say my first reaction was well, I've got to get there. The second reaction was just thankfulness that there were no students or faculty in the building,” Colombini-Hyke said.

Live video on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News showed flames shooting from the building on the campus of Clover Park Technical College as firefighters sprayed water on it from atop a ladder.

Video showed the fire flaring up repeatedly and continuing to burn for several hours after it broke out. It was under control at about 8:45 a.m.

SLIDESHOW: Flames Shoot From Portable Classroom

A Lakewood Fire Department representative, Jenny Sharp, said flames were hard to douse in an inaccessible space in the roof. Because there was no one inside the building, about 30 firefighters at the scene took a defensive stance, spraying water from outside.

A custodian at the college called 911 at about 4:30 a.m. when he saw flames coming from Building 39, used for early childhood education. The building contained classrooms and offices, according to a news release issued by the college late Wednesday morning.

Students who would normally use that building were asked to report for class at the student union.

The fire also destroyed a storage shed holding toys and school supplies.

No one was hurt.

The college serves the equivalent of 4,100 full-time students. The school is a public two-year technical college with a curriculum that emphasizes career training, according to its Web site.

Police continue to investigate the fire. Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious at the school before the fire should contact Lakewood police.