Pupils evacuated twice from burning school

Three youths ‘detained’ by police after blaze at Perth’s largest secondary

Three youths forced the evacuation of hundreds of pupils from Perth High after a fire broke out at the school yesterday.

Police Scotland confirmed they had been “detained” amid a probe jointly undertaken with Scottish Fire and Rescue investigators.

Students and staff were forced to flee into car parks and playing fields from morning classes after flames took hold in the school’s gym hall.

Smoke billowed through corridors, subsequently setting-off fire alarms again and forcing a second evacuation.

Firefighters had to hack away internal walls as they extinguished the blaze, which centred on burning gym equipment.

The damage caused to the school is still being assessed.

A fire investigation is under way after hundreds of pupils were twice evacuated from Perth High School when a blaze broke out yesterday.

Three youths have been detained by police in connection with the incident, which saw the city’s largest secondary school emptied.

Its gym hall filled with smoke during the incident, with students moved to playing fields and car parks.

The exact cause of the fire is unknown, but Police Scotland has been assisting Scottish Fire and Rescue’s investigation.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the school’s gym hall within minutes of a 999 call and discovered that a storage area was ablaze.

It was quickly extinguished and there were no reports of any injuries, though they required to cut away blackened sections of the gym block’s walls to ensure the fire was fully out.

Pupils were allowed to return to classes a short time later but had barely got back inside when a reactivated.

They were forced to leave once again, heading back to the emergency assembly points only just vacated.

Fire crews were still on scene and they were able to swiftly rule out any secondary incident.

The fire is said to have started within a cupboard adjacent to the gym hall, with a quantity of gym equipment catching alight in what are now thought to be suspicious circumstances.

Amidst the drama, which disrupted classes for much of the day, pupils made calls and sent texts to concerned parents to keep them updated and allay any fears.

Because the entire school was evacuated – including kitchen staff – there was no opportunity for hot food to be prepared for lunches.

Perth and Kinross Council said cold meals had been available.

A spokeswoman said steps had been taken to keep parents and guardians abreast of all developments at the school throughout the day.

A spokeswoman for Scottish Fire and Rescue said: “The fire was extinguished by firefighters using breathing apparatus and a hose-reel.”

The council said it was too early to say how much damage had been done.

As afternoon classes drew to a finish, Police Scotland confirmed that three youths had been detained in connection with the fire. fire alarm

The fire was extinguished by firefighters using breathing apparatus and a hosereel. SCOTTISH FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE SPOKESWOMAN