Puketaha Primary School fire: Two buildings demolished, one classroom closed for repair

A fire damaged two of Puketaha Primary School's buildings beyond repair. Photo / Nyree Olliver

A week after a lightning strike and fire damaged two buildings beyond repair, Puketaha Primary School’s doors reopened, ready to welcome students back to class.

But life for the Waikato school and its pupils won’t return to normal until next year.

The school’s performing arts centre (PAC) and new-entrants classroom had to be demolished last week due to damage caused by the fire.

“Seeing the PAC and our new-entrant classroom come down has been emotional for many,” Puketaha Primary School principal Nyree Olliver said.

“These spaces hold countless memories, especially the PAC, where we gather as a school to connect and celebrate.”

Now, Olliver said, the empty space where the buildings once stood served as a reminder of the school community’s resilience and the importance of gratitude.

“We’re deeply thankful no one was injured.”

The fire broke out in the roof of the school hall after a lightning strike on October 30. Olliver had been on the phone with the electrician and power company when she smelled smoke.

One parent, Roydon Barnes, emptied about five fire extinguishers on the flames while children were evacuated.

Four fire trucks, two water tankers, a support vehicle from the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Brigade and a ladder truck from Manukau helped extinguish the blaze.

Two Puketaha Primary School buildings needed to be demolished due to fire damage. Photo / Nyree Olliver

Olliver said the fire caused extensive damage to the school hall, a multipurpose performing arts space she described as the heart of the school and the new-entrant classroom.

“Unfortunately, both buildings were deemed structurally unsound and had to be demolished before we could reopen the school.”

She said the Ministry of Education’s emergency response team had worked quickly to get a demolition team to the site.

Another classroom, which houses two classes, suffered smoke damage and has been closed for the rest of the year to be re-lined and re-carpeted.

“During the closure, many students stayed with family members or joined their parents at work,” Olliver said.

Meanwhile, school staff quickly reorganised the library and a classroom to create new spaces for displaced students.

The school reopened on November 6, a week after the fire.

A fire broke out in the roof of a building at Puketaha Primary School on October 30. Photo / Maryana Garcia

“Although much of the learning equipment was damaged by smoke, by the time we reopened our students had welcoming and well-equipped spaces to return to,” Olliver said.

“The children have shown remarkable resilience and are glad to be back at school.”

She said after the fire the “school family” came together, showing “support and kindness in so many ways”.

“A real positive outcome from this experience has been the strengthened sense of community,” Olliver said.

“We’ve felt genuinely cared for through emails, gifts from other schools, offers of resources and hands-on help.”

She said families showed flexibility and understanding during the closure.

“Many parents volunteered their hands-on help.”

Olliver said donations of learning-through-play equipment had helped the school’s youngest pupils adjust and added excitement for their return to class.

School principal Nyree Olliver says the empty space where the buildings once stood serves as a reminder of the community’s resilience.

“Our parent community cared for the staff too, by providing food and treats while the teachers worked getting the school ready for opening.”

The timeline for rebuilding the school’s performing arts centre is still uncertain.

“The focus is on getting the classrooms operational,” she said.

“We’re aiming to reopen two of our classroom spaces early next year, while the third will still be under reconstruction.”

Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.