Gosport Fire: Firefighters inspect Gosport school

FIREFIGHTERS inspected the devastated remains of a Gosport school after it was devastated by a major fire last night.

The Brune Park Community School on Military Road was badly damaged by the fire that had just erupted.

More than 40 firefighters from across the county have been mobilized to tackle the blaze that was spreading through a recently closed building in Brune Park.

Crews from Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Portchester, Southsea, Wickham, Hightown and Eastleigh fought for almost three hours to get the fire under control.

In total, the emergency services used 17 breathing apparatus and two main jets to finally extinguish the flames, which are said to have ignited on a flat roof on the ground floor.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services said around 10 per cent of the building was destroyed.

At around 9:25 p.m., officers managed to put out the fire. Dozens of people outside the school premises watched as the flames were extinguished.

Among them was seventh-grade student Ella-Mai Mcintosh-Sayles from Rowner.

Speaking to The News, with her mother's permission, the 12-year-old said: "I just couldn't believe it, it was pretty crazy to see my own school on fire. The entire building was surrounded by firefighters.

“There were seven fire engines and four police cars. We saw that the building was on fire and we could see flames erupting from the roof, walls and windows.

"I could see firefighters getting in and out through a broken window to make sure nobody was in the building."

Hampshire Constabulary has been informed. The cause of the fire has not been discovered yet.

Firefighters conducted another inspection of the building at 7 am, with a fire and rescue service spokeswoman who said no further action would be taken.

The school is due to reopen on Monday and a spokesman for Gosport and Fareham Multi-Academy Trust said it was due to the quick response of firefighters.

He said: "We want to say a big thank you to the emergency services who responded to the fire at Brune Park Community School.

"It was their quick action that ensured the fire was brought under control quickly, preventing a more serious situation and further damage to the building."

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