COUNTY NEWS: Huge fire devastates school

Video footage the day after a fire ripped through a secondary school shows the full extent of the catastrophic damage.
The fire service said more than 75 per cent of the school building was engulfed by flames. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-160821-113609001The fire service said more than 75 per cent of the school building was engulfed by flames. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-160821-113609001
The fire service said more than 75 per cent of the school building was engulfed by flames. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-160821-113609001

Speaking on Monday, the day after the fire at Selsey Academy, near Chichester, Lee Street, West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service officer in charge, said it was the biggest fire the service has had to deal with in the county in the last five years.

Officers are still on the scene dampening down two hotspots, though the rest of the fire was extinguished on Sunday afternoon, after it had raged for more than seven hours.

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The cause of the blaze is currently being investigated, and Mr Street said ‘nothing was being ruled out’.

The fire service said more than 75 per cent of the school building was engulfed by flames. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-160821-113609001The fire service said more than 75 per cent of the school building was engulfed by flames. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-160821-113609001
The fire service said more than 75 per cent of the school building was engulfed by flames. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-160821-113609001

He was also quick to praise the Selsey community for their huge contribution.

The scout hut immediately opposite the school was used as a base for the more than 100 firefighters battling the blaze, and an army of local volunteers provided them with hot food and drinks all day.

“The local people are to be celebrated,” Mr Street said.

TKAT, the trust which runs the school, is set to make a statement later reassuring parents of pupils who attend the school.

The scene of the fire. Picture by Eddie MitchellThe scene of the fire. Picture by Eddie Mitchell
The scene of the fire. Picture by Eddie Mitchell
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It has already said that students collecting their GCSE results this Thursday will do so from SEAL primary school nearby.

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