Torched primary school to reopen on time

A fire blazes at Glendowie Primary School on Friday night. Photo / Steven McNicholl

The Ministry of Education has stepped in make sure an Auckland primary school, torched by arsonists on Friday, can reopen on time.

It intends to install temporary buildings to replace the two-storey block of nine classrooms razed after a fire was lit under the art department in a recently renovated part of Glendowie Primary School.

An emergency meeting was held today between the principal and members of the school's board of trustees staff and officials from the Ministry of Education.

Work is already underway to demolish fire-damaged buildings, which make up about a third of the school's classrooms. Once cleared, temporary classrooms will be installed in time for the start of the new school term on February 1, said Bruce Adin, the ministry's northern regional manager.

"In the meantime, preliminary work is already underway on the planning process for long-term replacement buildings to be erected at the school. It is expected the design process could start for this project in the first term.

"The ministry will provide ongoing support to help the board, principal, teachers and their school community to ensure minimal disruption to children's learning," Mr Adin said.

Board of trustees chairwoman Dawn Garbett told NZPA the school had a roll of about 650 pupils and 150 would be accommodated in temporary classes until rebuilding was completed.

"The ministry have been wonderful, exactly as we had anticipated and hoped. They are sourcing nine relocatable classrooms for us, and the school will be reopened on day one as planned.

"It's fantastic news and we are delighted with the progress.

"The temporary classrooms and toilet blocks will be set up on site, which will be stocked with the furniture and the resources the teachers need.

"The logistics are working brilliantly well and it should start happening by the end of the week," Ms Garbett said.

Fire safety officers could not say if an accelerant was used to start the fire.

Detective Sergeant Jeremy Williams, of Glen Innes police, said many people who witnessed the blaze had been spoken to, but police were still looking through security footage.

"Inquiries are still progressing. There is a lot of CCTV (closed circuit television) footage to go through as well. There are still a couple of outstanding people to speak to."

There were no suspects at this stage.

The Fire Service has handed over the investigation to police but Fire Safety officer Ray Coleman said they now believed the fire was lit under the art department, where it burned among discarded building material from recent renovations for some time before it was noticed.

"It has been hidden from view for quite a while before it has broken out and been sighted," he said.

Had the fire been lit against the side of the buildings it would have been noticed much earlier.

"Because it was so late it would tend to suggest it was more likely under the building than against the building."

More than 80 firefighters from 20 appliances fought the blaze but could not save the classrooms, and school authorities said it was likely to take up to two years to rebuild the school.

Mr Coleman said the damage was heartbreaking, and while fire safety officers learned how to deal with the emotion of arson attacks, it was something they could never get used to.

"It is heartbreaking and you just have to wonder at times where people's heads are at."

- NZPA