Firefighters from across Wiltshire tackle fire at school

Crews were called to Woodborough School, Woodborough near Pewsey at around 6.40pm.

Fire crews from Pewsey, Devizes, Westbury, Marlborough, Amesbury, Calne, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury along with Swindon's aerial ladder platform and a support vehicle from Stratton were at the scene. Andover fire station were also providing support. 

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire ans Rescue Service said: "The call came in at 6.40pm after reports of fire within the roof of the building were received."

Pictures: DWFRS/ Devizes Fire Station

The fire service says it received several reports of smoke coming from a building and when the first fire crews arrived more firefighting resources were requested at the scene. 

"Fire Control took the first of several calls reporting smoke issuing from a building in Woodborough, Pewsey. Crews from Pewsey, Devizes and Marlborough were initially mobilised. The first crew booked in attendance and confirmed smoke issuing and additional resources were requested," a spokesperson for the fire service added.

"Due to the fire affecting a neighbouring property a further request for assistance was received a short while after which resulted in crews from Amesbury, Westbury, Andover and Chippenham being mobilised along with a water carrier from Andover.

"Hose reel jets and main jets have been used to extinguish the fire with the aerial ladder platform being used to strip roof tiles to check for fire spread and thermal imaging cameras used to check for hot spots. Aquavacs have also been used to assist with salvage operations in areas of the building not affected by fire."

Two crews from Swindon and Mere relieved the initial attending crews and were maintaining a "watching brief" at the scene. 

A statement issued by Woodborough School which was posted on its website said: "The damage has resulted in the loss of two classrooms, the staff room and some other areas of the school.

"Our primary focus is the safety, welfare and education of our pupils and we are currently working hard to ensure continuity of education provision. The school will be closed during the week commencing 20th September.

"We have been overwhelmed with offers of support from the community and we sincerely thank each of you for your kind words and deeds. Our school is not defined by the buildings, it is defined by our culture, and we are confident that culture will see us through this period of adversity. We will rebuild and continue to provide high calibre education. The Woodborough magic will prevail.

"The events of the evening of 17th were shocking to witness. We want to say a sincere thank you to all the emergency services who attended the fire; they risked their lives to minimize the damage to our buildings and adjoining property. We are sincerely grateful to them."

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