The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Pupils led safely from school fire
Cause of devastating blaze as yet unknown
Hundreds of pupils were led to safety as fire ripped through a Fife primary school.
Cairneyhill is to remain closed on Monday and until Tuesday at least following the blaze.
Some children were in tears as they were led from the school, which went up in flames at around 1pm.
Thankfully no one was injured and everyone inside the school at the time was accounted for, with up to 200 youngsters taken to the nearby Cairneyhill Parish Church to seek refuge as more than 30 firefighters tackled the incident.
The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage is not yet known, although a full investigation is now under way.
Parents and guardians were contacted and were reunited with their children throughout the afternoon.
Teachers and staff were lauded for the way they handled the situation despite the potential for panic.
“The teachers have been amazing, I can’t praise them enough,” said parent council member Susan Slater.
Hundreds of children were evacuated from a Fife primary school yesterday after it was hit by a ferocious blaze.
More than 30 firefighter were sent to Cairneyhill Primary and Community School on Northbank Road, Dunfermline, after it went up in flames shortly after 1pm.
Police confirmed all children were safe and well soon after the alarm was raised, although news of the fire brought an influx of worried parents to a nearby church hall where the youngsters were taken.
It is understood the fire started in the infant section of the building and soon spread to other parts of the school.
The full extent of the damage is not yet clear, but Fife Council has confirmed the school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
A local authority spokesperson added: “Services are now working together on contingency plans and details of these will be confirmed early next week.”
Around 200 P1 to P7 pupils were escorted to Cairneyhill Parish Church where they waited for their parents and guardians to collect them.
Many youngsters were said to be in tears as they were led away.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said a total of seven appliances were sent to the incident. Group manager Richie Hall, incident commander, said: “Firefighters from Dunfermline and Lochgelly were the first to arrive at the scene of this welldeveloped fire.
“They encountered very dense smoke and flames
“Those firefighters were soon joined by colleagues from Alloa and Falkirk, and they worked to ensure all pupils and staff were evacuated before turning their full focus on locating the source of the flames.
“Their efforts meant that the fire, located in the centre of the building, was prevented from spreading any farther.”
He added: “I must also pay credit to both the children and the school staff who evacuated quickly and calmly, and made their way to a place of safety.”
Police initially advised local people to stay indoors and keep their windows closed, although those restrictions were lifted shortly after 4pm.
However, people were still being asked to avoid the area around the school last night as emergency services investigated the causes of the blaze.
Chief Inspector Irene Ralston, area commander for West Fife, said: “We are asking the public to avoid the area where possible as emergency services deal with this incident.”