The arson blaze at Shanklea Primary School in Cramlington broke out on Friday afternoon. The fire took off rapidly, spreading to the solar panels installed on the roof of the two-storey building. The fire captured national attention as flames engulfed the structure and heavy black smoke issued from the school, prompting concern from residents in the community of 1,200. Luckily, there were no injuries related to the incident.
Members of the North East and Cumbria Fire Service (NFRS) were quick to quell the flames. According to a spokesperson for NFRS, crews initially used two hose reel jets and a covering jet to combat the flames. At the same time, four firefighters donned breathing apparatus for protection.
In Shanklea Primary School, fire predominantly damaged the solar panels on the west side. Dark brick on this side of the school, a south-facing wall. Quick work by fire fighters brought the fire under control quickly, limiting the damage to structural components alone.
Our public officials have rightly shown that they can — and sometimes must — take the reins on this one. Now, they’re doing structural assessments to determine how bad the damage really is. A member of Northumberland County Councils stated that they are proactively pursuing any structural advice needed. Their immediate objective is to assess the damage sustained by Shanklea Primary School and advise on the required extent of any remedial works. Regrettably, this leaves us unable to open our doors Monday. They are definitely reaching out and trying to pursue in every possible way the return to in-person learning as quickly as they can.
Photos showing the outbreak as it burned across the landscape were published by BBC News, showing the alarming nature of the destructive fire. Photo used under creative commons license by Jonny Manning and Dave Fisher, BBC News, North East and Cumbria. They helped keep the public informed by issuing frequent updates as new and confirmed information became available.
