Fire devastates city school

Much of an Auckland primary school was in ruins last night after an intense blaze which created a vast plume of smoke visible from many parts of the city.

Firefighters raced to Glendowie Primary School just before 8.30pm when the fire broke out.

Assistant area commander Steve Lakin described the fire as "punishing", but said it was too early to say how it started or if it was suspicious.

He said the main fire, which covered an area 100m by 75m over two floors, was out by 10.30pm but firefighters were working to contain hotspots.

They were expected to remain there well into the night.

"It has just been a punishing fire," Mr Lakin said.

Board of trustees chairwoman Dr Dawn Garbett said the whole of the junior block - at least 12 buildings - had been destroyed.

"It was just like a rocket went through the building. It's absolutely devastating."

She had been told that part of a new section of the school, the intermediate block, was also damaged.

Dr Garbett said it was too early to say whether the school's 650 pupils would be able to start the new term in a couple of weeks.

But prefab classrooms would have to be brought in to accommodate all of the children when the school did reopen.

Parents' Association chairwoman Karyn Berman, who lives nearby but is away on holiday, said she received a phone call about the fire from another parent.

She had been told the junior block resource room had also been destroyed in the blaze.

"It's absolutely devastating. I can't believe it - all our amazing resources are gone."

More than 100 people, mostly stunned parents, students and curious local residents, gathered across the road from the school to watch as flames ripped through the facility and huge plumes of smoke rose into the air.

Film student Ben Ireland, who saw the fire start, rushed down and started filming it.

"There was debris flying over me; you can see it in the camera. It was just so freaky."

Stephanie Johnson said she was shocked by what had happened.

"It's terrible for the kids and it's not fair. We [parents] spend so much time fundraising for the school and this is so hard to see."

Philippe Carlier was worried that his 10-year-old son Nico - the youngest of three siblings who have attended Glendowie Primary - would not start the new school year on time. He said the whole school community was "gutted".

The fire is one of the biggest in Auckland since Mangere East Primary was set alight in the middle of last year, damaging seven classrooms, three toilet blocks and several other resource, storage and teaching spaces. The school was closed for two weeks.

In the past 10 years, there have been more than 640 school fires in New Zealand, causing nearly $40 million in building damage.