School closes after roof catches alight

Sep 10 2010 By Camilla Goodman

school fire

A FIRE forced a school to close this morning after the flames tore through the building's roof.

The blaze happened at St George's C of E School, in White Lion Road, Amersham, at about 7.30am this morning.

It is believed the fire was a result of an electrical fault, although the cause is still under investigation.

The school will remain closed today but is expected to open as normal on Monday.

New headmaster, Toby Long, who started at the school on September 1, said: "A small fire was detected this morning, we phoned the fire brigade and they dealt with it quite quickly.

"Since I arrived last week everyone has been so helpful, the children have been great and the parents very welcoming, so it's a shame we had to close the school today but it will hopefully be business as usual on Monday."

It is believed most of the children's families were notified about the fire this morning by the school's 'text' system due to the phone lines and Internet being down.

The fire took hold in a roof void of a single-storey building above a corridor.

Five fire crews dealt with the incident by using one jet, two hose reels, four sets of breathing apparatus, a thermal imaging camera and a PPV fan to ventilate the area. 

A spokesman for Bucks Fire and Rescue Service said: "The fire was dealt with quite quickly, within about half an hour. The amount of damage caused and severity of the fire was thankfully quite limited due to it being dealt with quickly."