Five bomb threats called in to public schools this week have cost the school district thousands of dollars, and those expenses are expected to climb, officials said.

In addition, city costs for fire and police responses are expected to mount.

In both cases, officials said they will ask for reimbursement of expenses as criminals are arrested and sentenced.

Thursday’s bomb threat to Warren Intermediate School on Sherman Avenue and U.S. 61 North, the fifth threat in three days, caught the 1,255-student school during a lunch period, meaning about 900 meals had to be thrown out – at a cost of about $5,000, Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent James Price said.

&#8220We can’t serve food after a certain amount of time, but we still have to feed the students and we have to pay the cafeteria workers,” Price said.

The superintendent said he hopes to get the money back.

Capt. Mark Culbertson also expects repayment for the time Vicksburg police officers spent responding to the calls.

&#8220We’re tossing around the idea of asking for restitution through whichever court charges them,” Culbertson said. &#8220We have 20 officers tied up at one time. Their time is not being devoted to what they need to be doing. There are a lot of aspects involved.”

For Vicksburg Fire Department Chief Keith Rogers, the issue of life is his main concern. The bomb threats are putting his firefighters in a position where they may not be able to respond to a &#8220real” emergency, he said.

&#8220When you look at the big picture, it delays the response or makes it where there’s possibly not even a response,” he said. &#8220My biggest concern is that a true emergency could happen. My next concern is the whole ‘cry wolf’ deal. It makes my firefighters and EMTs become complacent, and I can’t afford to have this department become complacent.”

Rogers said it costs the department about $250 for a one-hour standard response. The figure is what it costs to pay personnel, and doesn’t include fuel or equipment costs, he said.

&#8220I haven’t worked it up financially,” he said. &#8220It’s the minutes and seconds that count.”

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said the one time his deputies responded to one of the threats, which was at Sherman Avenue, it didn’t cost his department any more money than any other shift.

&#8220Any type of event, such as a bomb threat, a major fire or anything that requires a lot of manpower, we will naturally pull patrol units from all parts of the county,” he said. &#8220But, as far as raw expense, it did not cost us any more because my units were already on duty.”

Two children have been arrested in the bomb threats, and police said late Friday investigations were continuing to find the other caller or callers.

A 12-year-old girl was arrested Wednesday after a threat was phoned in to Warren Junior that morning, the third threat to which officials responded. A 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged with phoning one of the two threats Thursday. Both are in the Warren County Juvenile Detention Center.

Price said officials will continue to investigate until the other callers are found.

&#8220We will spare no expense in finding the people who made those calls,” he said. &#8220We expect an arrest soon. We’re going to find the person who made that call.”

A string of seven school evacuations in the 9,000-school district began Feb. 24 when Warren Junior High School was cleared after a student set fire to a roll of paper towels in a boys’ restroom. Another evacuation came Monday at Vicksburg Junior High School after smoke was detected by school administrators. The source turned out to be an electrical problem.

The bomb threats were reported at Vicksburg High School and Warren Junior on Tuesday, at Warren Junior on Wednesday and at Warren Junior and Warren Intermediate on Thursday.