Gardaí will investigate school blaze in Dundalk

GARDAÍ say it could be Tuesday before it is safe for them to examine the scene of a fire on the grounds of St Louis Secondary School in Dundalk, Co. Louth.

The fire, which began in the early hours of Saturday morning, completely destroyed one 1950s building at the school on the Castletown Road.

However, it was contained and prevented from spreading further by Dundalk and Ardee firefighters and did not damage the main building.

The fire was spotted by a passer-by at around 3am, who raised the alarm.

A Garda spokesman said: ‘The building involved will need to be made safe and secure and then it can be properly examined, but that may not be until Monday or Tuesday.’

The building, which was gutted, will need to cool down completely and then made safe for it to be examined by crime scene gardaí.

The spokesman said that due to substantial damage to the timber-construction building it was not possible to immediately identify the cause of the blaze. The possibility that the fire began in a shed and then spread is one of the theories that will be examined.

The all-girls school, which has around 500 students, is expected to open as normal tomorrow.