Whakatāne High School principal Martyn Knapton said smoke was seen coming out of the top of the art block roof about 11.30am.
“Despite some attempts to put it out, the fire caught hold and we initiated our evacuation procedures and cleared the students from the school and out onto the field.”
Knapton said the fire brigade arrived shortly afterwards and “endeavoured to put the fire out which took some time”.
He said everyone was safe and had been accounted for.
“We can’t use the art block for this moment in time but we have rescheduled art classes into different rooms in the school and school is back to normal tomorrow.
“We’re trying to salvage as much stuff from the art room as we can so the kids can have some continuity in their learning.”
He said he was working with the Ministry of Education in regard to the rebuild and insurance.
“They’ve been quite supportive so far so I’m looking forward to continuing that conversation.”
Knapton said he was unsure what the accidental cause of the fire was and he would need to wait until an investigation had been completed.
Videos from the scene show smoke pouring out of a building as students watch from the field.
The school had more than 1000 students, according to 2022 roll data.
Whakatāne High School parent Jamie-Lee Fraser-Jones said the school had sent her “multiple texts and emails”.
”The first one to say that there was a fire and all students evacuated safely and then just a follow-up to say that there is a fire in their art block. Once the fire brigade gives the all clear, school will resume and art students will work in the library.”
Fraser-Jones, who works at Hospice Eastern Bay of Plenty on Goulstone Rd near the school, said she texted her son after hearing the siren go off at the high school and seeing a fire truck arrive.
She said she saw smoke about 11.55am but it had since cleared.
She said the students were evacuated onto the school field. Her son sent her a video of the building that was on fire.
”It didn’t look roaring or blazing or anything … just more smoke than anything. But then when he sent me maybe a couple of videos after that, you could kind of make out the flames in the building.
”I didn’t look at it and think, ‘Oh my goodness that whole building is going to burn down’.”
Whakatāne district councillor Toni Boynton told NZME the council had received reports indicating all students were evacuated safely. She asked local residents to be “mindful” by keeping away from the area.
A police spokeswoman said police had been helping with traffic management.
