Five boys aged between 11 and 15 have been arrested on suspicion of igniting the fire at St Mary’s Catholic Technology College in Leyland, Lancashire.
It took 125 firefighters to tackles the fire which spread rapidly due to foam roofing insulation and no sprinkler system, after the alarm was raised at 16:03 on Sunday. The school described the damage as “devastating”
Lancashire Fire and Rescue said:
The school, which was built in 1957, had no sprinklers and the roof was constructed using sandwich foam boards which helped spread the fire in an area that was difficult for the firefighters to reach.
Additionally, a strong wind helped spread the fire across the school towards the sports hall.
10 fire engines remained on the scene this morning to extinguish the last pockets of fire, and are expected to remain in place until this afternoon.
