A TEENAGE boy is expected to appear in court today after 80 firefighters worked through the night on Sunday battling a “suspicious” blaze at a high school.
Fifteen fire appliances attended the “large and complex” incident at Woodmill High School in Dunfermline, Fife, along with two height appliances.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was called out just after 5pm on Sunday. Crews remained on the scene well into yesterday morning as the flames spread through the building.
There were still 10 fire engines and a height appliance, alongside several support vehicles, at the site around midday yesterday.
Police Scotland said a 14-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with the blaze and is due to appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court today.
A message on the school’s Twitter account from rector Sandy McIntosh said: “We are all utterly devastated by what has happened to our school. I will be meeting with our teachers and school staff this morning, along with staff from the Education Service and wider Fife Council to put in place plans for our young people.
“My heartfelt thanks go to the emergency services for all they have done to save our school.
“Updates will be provided to our parents through Groupcall as soon as we have more information. School closure information will be updated on fifedirect.org.uk.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney tweeted: “Terribly sorry with the news @WoodmillHigh.
@scotgov has been in contact with @FifeCouncil and will discuss next steps. Good wishes to all in the school community at this tough time.”
David Alexander and David Ross, co-leaders of Fife Council, said in a statement: “This is a very sad day for Dunfermline and Fife and the community of Woodmill High School are understandably devastated.
“It is too soon to say how badly damaged the school is, or how long it will need to remain closed. We’d like to reassure our pupils and their families that it is an absolute priority for us to get them back in school as soon as possible.
“We’d like to thank the firefighters from SFRS for their tireless work to bring the fire under control last night and all morning. We are so grateful to them for their dedication. Thanks also to Police Scotland officers who have also worked through the night to keep everyone safe.
No casualties have been reported.
SFRS local senior officer Roddie Keith said: “This was a complex incident and our crews worked through the night in challenging conditions to contain this fire and prevent further spread within the building. Through effective planning, they surrounded the fire and extinguished the flames.
“However, we will remain in attendance for some time yet as we check for any hidden fire spread and also work to dampen down any remaining hot spots.”
“Our advice remains that members of the public should avoid the area to allow access for emergency service vehicles.”
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