Up in flames

School struggle: Orange and yellow flames light up the night as a firefighter battles to control the blaze which wrecked part of Fulford School. Pictures by Mike Tipping

Gutted: A firefighter uses an axe to remove debris from the fire-devastated craft, design and technology block at Fulford School today

Firefighters enter the school as the fire rages nearby

More than 70 firefighters battled for four hours to bring the blaze in Fulford School's craft, design and technology block under control as 40ft flames tore through the roof of the single-storey building.

The alarm was raised at 3am when police were called to an automatic intruder alarm, leading to suspicions that the fire could have been started deliberately. However, no evidence of arson has been found so far by fire investigators.

The blaze devastated four classrooms and damaged ten others, causing thousands of pounds damage and ruining some GCSE and A Level project work.

Firefighters, who came from as far afield as Northallerton, had to overcome various difficulties to stop the fire spreading from the CDT block to the linked main science block. There was constant danger from a pressurised acetylene bottle on which a water hose was permanently trained to prevent it exploding.

And fire officers doubled the number of fire engines to 10 after flames began creeping above a false ceiling to other parts of the block.

Eyewitness Sophie Haewood, 22, of Eastward Avenue, Fulford, said: "At first, smoke was billowing out and the flames didn't appear for a while, but when they did it was very dramatic. The whole building was aglow and they were using axes to smash skylights to spray water inside."

Fire station officer John Swires said water had to be pumped a quarter of a mile from Fulford Road because of low pressure in the local water supply, and the wind also complicated the operation. "Everything was against us, but we managed to save the rest of the block," he said.

The blaze - which caused damage estimated to be at least a six-figure sum - wiped out the school's technology equipment, including computers and lathes, and two brand new classrooms recently kitted out with facilities for studying food technology.

Shocked headteacher Keith Hayton said: "I was in disbelief when I heard. It is very upsetting. The awful thing is that some of the students' projects have probably gone up in smoke.

"It is a massive rebuilding job but it is only one storey and is in an isolated part of the school. The difficulty is that four rooms taken out were specialist classrooms. We are the most oversubscribed school in York so this is going to cause us a real problem."

A-Level pupil Jean-Pierre Dupont, 19, said: "I'm one of the lucky ones, but it is terrible for those who had projects in there. They will have lost hours of work." And former pupil Sarah Britton, 20, of nearby Fulfordgate, who watched the drama unfold, said: "It is just awful. It's really upsetting seeing your school go up in flames. I have a lot of good memories there. I was almost in tears. It is so sad for the current pupils."

Deputy head Bernadette Barnes said: "Although some GCSE and A Level craft, design and technology work has been damaged, students should not worry - examination boards have been notified and students will receive the grades they were projected to get."

Teachers at the school were this afternoon meeting to draw up an emergency timetable of lessons for when the school re-opens.

All children will be expected back on Thursday, except Years 7 and 8, who should return next Monday. All non-CDT adult education classes will continue as normal.

see COMMENT 'Rally round school'

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