The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Two charged after primary school fire
Parts of Torbain Primary damaged on Saturday
Two youths have been charged in connection with a fire that caused extensive damage to a Fife school just days before the start of term.
A toilet block and staff room at Torbain Primary School in Kirkcaldy were gutted by fire on Saturday.
The blaze ripped through part of the infant building and caused smoke and water damage to the school’s nursery.
Parents of pupils in primaries one and two, which are accommodated in the infant building, are now waiting to hear if their children can start school on Wednesday.
Fife Council posted on Facebook: “Following yesterday’s fire at Torbain Primary School we’re working hard to get the school back on track for pupils returning on Wednesday.
“We’ll get more information to you as soon as we can.”
Parents in Kirkcaldy are waiting to hear if their children can start school on Wednesday after Torbain Primary was hit by fire.
Police confirmed two youths had been traced and charged with wilful fireraising in connection with the incident and said a report would be sent to the procurator fiscal.
Fire crews were called to the school at around 1.45pm on Saturday to find a blaze ripping through the building.
The boys’ toilets and staff room of the infant building at Torbain, which accommodates the school’s nursery and primaries one and two, were gutted by fire just days before the start of term.
Areas including the nursery also suffered smoke and water damage.
Two fire appliances attended after the alarm was raised and crews took around 40 minutes to get the incident under control.
The building was unoccupied at the time and nobody was injured.
Over the weekend, the headteacher and janitorial staff were called in to assess the damage.
It is hoped junior pupils will be able to start school as planned. However, yesterday, parents were still waiting for news.
Fife Council posted on Facebook: “Following the fire at Torbain Primary School we’re working hard to get the school back on track for pupils returning on Wednesday.
“We’ll get more information to you as soon as we can.”
The incident followed vandalism at Valley Primary School, just one mile away.
Windows at the school were smashed at the end of last week.
Police Scotland has urged members of the public with information about either incident to get in touch on 101.
Staff at Torbain, the town’s largest primary with a roll of nearly 700 including its nursery, had been working over the previous week to clean and prepare the school for the new influx of pupils.
It is believed fire spread from a bench through a window, causing devastation to part of the building.
Detectives were at the scene on Saturday and a cordon was in place around an area which had been blackened by the blaze.
The main building at Torbain Primary School was ravaged by fire during the summer of 1975.
We’re working hard to get the school back on track for pupils. FIFE COUNCIL