Arson-hit school fights back (From Witney Gazette)

Arson-hit school fights back

9:00am Wednesday 15th March 2006 in Witney By Andrew Alexander

A PRIMARY school targeted by arsonists was reopening yesterday after a big clean-up operation by staff and parents.

A fire broke out at Stonesfield Primary School early on Saturday, wrecking one classroom and damaging several others.

Police investigating the fire which apparently started when arsonists broke a window and set fire to children's artwork suspect the culprits to be local.

Teachers and volunteers were busy cleaning smoke-damaged toys and equipment over the weekend, and set up a temporary classroom in the school hall.

Headteacher Ed Read said: "It's the main classroom that's been affected. The smoke just went everywhere. There was a film of soot over everything. It was a case of cleaning it all.

"The classroom has been gutted, so we need to empty it and start again. A lot of people have been phoning up. They've been very supportive."

Neighbours living near the school in High Street reported smelling smoke and when the fire service arrived at 9am, they believed the fire had been burning for several hours.

The blaze slowly burned books and chairs and blew out two of the remaining windows. It took firefighters an hour to extinguish the flames.

About 23 pupils, aged nine and ten from Year 4 and 5, used the classroom.

Teacher Caroline Debus, who helped in the clean-up, said: "The children are going to be very upset about this, especially the class affected. All their work has gone."

Insp Darren Carver, from Witney police station, said: "Someone smashed the window and set fire to some artwork on the window sill.

"We believe that the offender is probably local, and we're appealing for witnesses who saw anyone acting suspiciously at that time of the morning.

"There are some local lines of inquiry we're investigating at the moment, but I can't go into details."

Steve Wain, Oxfordshire Fire Service divisional officer, said that following a major fire at Marsh Baldon Primary School last year, the county council agreed that automatic fire detection systems should be fitted to new schools, or schools being renovated.

Mr Wain said: "If the Stonesfield school had been fitted with such a system, firefighters would have been alerted much earlier.

"The fire service's advice to all businesses, including schools, is that they should have such a system fitted."

• Anyone with information should call police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.