Browse Sections

• Education
• Roadworks
• Shipman
• Special reports

School damaged in arson

21/ 1/2008

FIREFIGHTERS spent four hours tackling a fire at a school on Sunday.

Three fire crews were sent to Waterloo primary after a blaze, which was started deliberately in a shed, spread to the main school building.

An aerial appliance was also sent to the incident, which happened around 6.10pm, so that crews could tackle the blaze from above.

Ashton Watch commander Alan Kirk praised his officers, who had to go inside the burning building to fight the flames.

“We got there quick and had to go inside to fight it. It was heavily smoke logged but we needed to find the seat of the fire, tackle it from there and reduce the amount of the damage. We couldn’t just fight it from outside the building because that would have just pushed the fire inside.

“There was no way it started accidentally on a Sunday evening.

“The crews that went inside did a fantastic job.”

There was damage to the roof of the school, which is on Worthington Street and it is closed until further notice. For more information phone Tameside Council on 342 8355 or log on to www.tameside.gov.uk

Anyone with information about the arson should contact police on 872 5050 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.