  steroid (596) Scheila was reported to exhibit a cometary appearance and an
increase in brightness on UT 2010 December 10.4. We used the IRCS spectrograph
on the 8-m Subaru telescope to obtain medium-resolution spectra of Scheila in
the HK-band (1.4 - 2.5$\mu$m) and low-resolution spectra in the KL-band (2.0 -
4.0$\mu$m) on UT 2010 December 13 and 14. In addition, we obtained
low-resolution spectroscopy using the SpeX spectrograph on the 3-m NASA
Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) telescope on UT 2011 January 04 and 05. The
spectrum of Scheila shows a consistent red slope from 0.8 to 4.0$\mu$m with no
apparent absorption features, resembling spectra of D-type asteroids. An
intimate mixing model suggests that the amount of water ice that might be
present on the surface of Scheila is no more than a few percent. The spectrum
of the Tagish Lake chondrite matches the asteroid's spectrum at shorter
wavelengths ($\lambda < 2.5 \mu$m), but no hydration features are observed at
longer wavelengths on Scheila. Our analysis corroborates other studies
suggesting that the comet-like activity of Scheila is likely not caused by the
sublimation of water ice. The dust coma and tail may be results of a recent
impact event.
