Schools biggest victims of arson

An arson at Lansdowne School in Masterton. Video still / Ross Richards, Wairarapa Times-Age

Schools suffer the highest rate of property damage caused by arson, the Fire Service says.

Fire Service figures show arson accounted for 84 per cent of the cost of fire damage to schools, - $3.2 million out of a total of $3.8 million.

Fire investigation and arson reduction manager Peter Wilding said young people lit fires in rubbish bins, which could quickly spread to buildings.

The cost to schools was high because they did not have to comply with stricter building codes for commercial buildings and many did not have sprinkler systems.

"In the absence of sprinkler systems in schools we have seen a lot more damage," he said.

He also said the nature of schools made them prone to damage, with wooden frames and flammable stationery typically filling the interiors.

"The Ministry of Education does have guidelines that recommend new school building include sprinklers and buildings that can contain over 1000 people are required to fit sprinklers. Nevertheless older school buildings typically are not sprinklered.

"This, combined with their construction type which usually doesn't have fire compartmentation, the nature of schools being unoccupied in evenings and often away from public view all contribute to a greater degree of damage in the event of fire," Wilding said.

The ministry's design guidelines include provisions for fire safety.

Its website says: "Sprinklers are required in all new schools; any building extension where the completed building will have a total floor area of greater than 1000 square metres; new or substantially altered special needs schools and special needs units; residential units at schools being built or substantially altered."

It comments: "when a fire does happen, it is a traumatic event in the life of a school, particularly when it is the result of arson, as well as being costly and time consuming for those involved."

Alleged school arsons

November 29: The art room at Casebrook Intermediate School in Christchurch was gutted by a blaze which started about 7pm.

Police said two young boys admitted setting the room on fire, along with starting some other small vegetation fires in the area.

October 11: Two classrooms at Kristin School on Auckland's North Shore were damaged by a fire allegedly started by two youths, one a former pupil.

Levi Wilson and Blake Norcross, both 17 at the time, were arrested and appeared in the North Shore District Court charged with criminal damage.

April 12: A fire which gutted a technology block at his Te Puke high school cost a teenager a jail sentence.

James Harris, then 15, set fire to a rubbish bin about 4am on Easter Sunday that soon erupted into a massive blaze that destroyed Te Puke High School's technical block, including seven classrooms.

Harris was sentenced to two years in prison for the fire, which cost an estimated $5 million in damage.

February 3: Two classrooms in a Tauranga school were completely destroyed in a deliberate blaze.

A 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were arrested after allegedly setting fire to Welcome Bay Primary School.