This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/04/firefighters-tackle-blaze-at-roding-primary-school-in-dagenham-essex

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Firefighters tackle blaze at primary school in Dagenham, Essex Dagenham primary school blaze brought under control
(about 1 hour later)
About 80 firefighters are tackling a blaze that set light to almost three-quarters of a primary school in Essex. A fire that engulfed almost three-quarters of a primary school has been bought under control, almost four hours after the alarm was first raised.
London fire brigade said it was called to the fire at Roding primary school in Dagenham at 4.50am on Tuesday. By dawn, 70% of the single-storey building was alight, according to a spokesman. London fire brigade said the blaze caused “significant damage” to Roding primary school in Dagenham, east London. The fire was declared under control at 8.40am on Tuesday after firefighters removed a propane canister that had posed a risk of explosion.
He said the spread of the fire had been contained but concerns remained: “There’s a propane cylinder that we are keeping crews away from and continually dousing until it cools down, to make sure it doesn’t explode. It is within the building.” Speaking from the scene, the station manager Rod Wainwright said: “Flames could be seen from some distance away and crews were faced with a serious blaze when they arrived on the scene.”
The 500-pupil school was due to open for the start of the autumn term on Wednesday. “They worked very hard to bring the fire under control but given the intensity of the fire, there is unfortunately significant damage to the school.”
Twelve fire engines and four water jets were tackling the blaze. The 500-pupil school was due to open for the start of the autumn term on Wednesday. “It is unfortunate timing that this fire has occurred just before the start of term,” Wainwright said.
The LFB spokesman said: “The fire is surrounded, which basically means we won’t be requiring any additional resources, so it is not going to get any bigger. It will start going down from now on.” A nearby school, Saint Teresa Catholic primary, had been due to open on Tuesday, but was closed as a precaution.
The cause of the blaze is unknown. “Our fire investigation team can’t get too involved until the fire has died down,” he said. The front of the Roding school showed little sign of damage, but at the rear the charred remains of gutted classrooms were exposed. Firefighters could be seen emerging from the building with blackened faces.
London fire brigade said it was called to the fire at 4.50am. By dawn, 70% of the single-storey building was alight, according to a spokesman.
Twelve fire engines and four water jets were involved tackling the blaze.
The cause of the fire is unknown. Wainwright said: “It is too soon to speculate on the cause but as soon as they’re able to, fire investigators will enter the site to start their work.”
A photograph of the fire taken by a local resident showed it lighting up the dawn sky above Dagenham.A photograph of the fire taken by a local resident showed it lighting up the dawn sky above Dagenham.
@LondonFire rodding primary school# Dagenham up in flames pic.twitter.com/7oBOWy61ib@LondonFire rodding primary school# Dagenham up in flames pic.twitter.com/7oBOWy61ib
Essex London
Primary schools
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content