Fire rips through school

A toilet block at a Waikato school and two of its classrooms have been damaged by fire after a student admitted playing with a lighter.

Waikato fire safety officer Kevin Holmes said a toilet along with a cloak room at Te Awamutu Intermediate were severely damaged while two other classrooms suffered fire or water damage after the blaze began just before noon today.

The school was successfully evacuated and none of the students were injured.

Mr Holmes said the boy tried, unsuccessfully, to extinguish the fire before admitting to his teacher what he had done.

One of the classrooms suffered serious water damage and is unable to be used while another suffered minor fire damage.

- © Fairfax NZ News