Firefighters tackling large blaze at Devon school

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Link: Firefighters tackling large blaze at Devon school - BBC News

 

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Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a school in Devon.

 

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said it was alerted to the blaze at The Promise School, in Okehampton, at about 15:30 GMT.

 

A spokesperson for the fire service said reports came in of "flames" and "thick black smoke" in the area.

 

They said about 15 fire service vehicles were sent to the scene, plus special appliances, and no injuries had been reported...

 

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Christ, that's horrid Hope everyone's OK most importantly, and hopefully they have a disaster recovery plan in place to allow for continued learning remotely. Hard work for every member of staff!

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Link: Fire closes Okehampton's Promise School for 'immediate future' - BBC News

 

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People have been urged to stay away from a school as firefighters continue to deal with a large fire.

 

Emergency services have been tackling the fire at The Promise School - which teaches children with special educational needs in Okehampton, Devon - since 15:30 GMT on Sunday.

 

A message from principal Quentin Gunderson said the school would be closed for the "immediate future" as a result of the fire and it will provide further updates on the "provision for ongoing learning".

 

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) incident commander Martin Sleigh said the building was a "total loss". Devon and Cornwall Police said the cause is "not thought to be suspicious".

In a message on the school's website, Gunderson said: "Urgent notice - a serious fire has occurred on the school site, the cause of which is unknown.

 

"The emergency services are currently in attendance.

 

"Due to the extent of the damage, the school will need to be closed for the immediate future."

 

According to the fire service's website, crews from 25 stations had attended the scene since it was first reported.

 

Sleigh said the incident had been scaled down with crews dampening down hot spots and fire flare ups.

 

He added people were being advised to avoid the area and the emergency services would try to keep disruption to a minimum.

 

Sleigh said due to the design of the building, parts of the structure had collapsed in on itself and while it had been unsafe to put firefighters inside the site, crews were "making good progress".

 

"The school building is a total loss at this point," he said.

 

"Our fire investigators are on scene and they'll now be looking to see if they can ascertain what the cause of the fire is."...