Fire devastates school

BY CARLY TAWHIAO

Guy Fawkes hit May Road Primary School a day early this year and the result is grim.

Black soot now covers the Richardson Rd school’s administration block, as hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment went up in flames in the school’s resource room on Wednesday night.

Books, teaching resources and music equipment, as well as office and printing equipment, were all destroyed after a suspected Guy Fawkes vandalism.

“We think it was fireworks and we think someone threw fireworks into a fan,” principal Lynda Stuart says.

Ms Stuart says it was a five-year-old pupil who spotted the fire at about 6.45pm.

“There were people playing rugby on the field and the hall was hired out, so there were people around. She saw something was wrong and alerted her father who was in the school hall,” she says.

“He called the fire brigade and they arrived soon after.”

Even though the damage is extensive, Ms Stuart says she’s relieved that no one was hurt.

“It’s horrible and it’s awful. The kids are upset but the most important thing is we’ve got us. We can manage without books but not without people.”

The power was temporarily disconnected to ensure the blaze had been completely contained, as helpers busied themselves by preventing the spread of soot.

“The community has been amazing. There have been so many offers of help from parents but there is not a lot we can do until the damage gets assessed.”

Ms Stuart can recall two fires during her time at the school, one in 1990 and one on Christmas Day, 2006.

Although she says members of the school community are saying fireworks should be banned, she disagrees.

“I have fond memories of Guy Fawkes parties when I was a child,” she says.

“It’s not about banning fireworks but having proper parental supervision.

“This particular thing is indicative of parents who don’t know where their children are or what they are doing.”

Constable Julia Bixley says the police are in the early stages of their investigation but are following some strong leads.

“This particular thing is indicative of parents who don’t know where their children are or what they are doing.”

Constable Julia Bixley says the police are in the early stages of their investigation but are following some strong leads.

“We are speaking with witnesses and carrying out a scene examination.”

Fire safety officer Neville Trevarton was called to the scene, which five fire trucks attended.

He believes the blaze started in or near an extractor fan on an external wall of the resource room and spread into the fan’s ducting, causing fires both in and outside the room.

“The fire outside was small but the fire inside involved a table of resources and grew inside from there.”

He says the room’s ceiling and roof will have to be assessed for structural damage.

There are also indications fireworks were used in the incident, he says.

“I believe there were juveniles involved and I don’t think it was completely accidental.”

Anyone with information about the fire can contact the Avondale police on 820-5700.

- © Fairfax NZ News