Large part of secondary school saved thanks to ‘amazing’ work of fire crews

Woodmill High firefighters endured extreme conditions, says commander

A large chunk of fire-hit Woodmill High School is still standing thanks to the “amazing” work of firefighters under extreme conditions.

David McGowan, deputy chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said crews had been inside the burning building in the battle to stop the ferocious blaze from spreading through the entire school.

While the Department of Additional Support (DAS) and other sections of the Dunfermline school were destroyed by the fire on August 25, parts of the main wing were protected.

Two firefighters were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of the heat during the operation.

Mr McGowan, who was incident commander on the night, said: “They did a superb job of protecting the main wing of the school.

“That’s because we had firefighters inside on the ground floor.”

He said the three-storey wing houses the school’s chemistry department, which contained enough chemicals to “cause a little bit of concern”.

“The work firefighters did in that particular section of the building, under extreme circumstances, was amazing,” he said.

“They managed to save 50% of the three-storey wing at the back of the school.”

Bulldozers moved on to the site on Friday amid plans to demolish the worst affected sections of the school, including the DAS building.

Fife Council officers have not yet been able to enter the rest of the school to assess the damage.

More than 80 firefighters from across Scotland fought through the night to extinguish the inferno.

A 14-year-old boy has since appeared in court accused of wilful fire-raising to danger of life.

Mr McGowan said the fire service had remained on site for more than 48 hours ensuring all hot spots were eliminated.

“Our fire investigation teams are working with the police to establish the exact cause and exact origin of the fire,” he said.

Around 1,400 pupils were displaced as a result of the blaze but short-term accommodation has since been secured for them.

Picture: PA. Some sections of the Dunfermline school were destroyed in the blaze.