Arson fear as school blazes

A fire which caused part of a West Midlands secondary school to collapse is being treated as suspected arson.

Up to 60 per cent of the Sidney Springer School in Coventry was damaged by the blaze, which started at 3.30pm yesterday.

The school’s gym collapsed after the fire took hold in the two-storey building around the time pupils were leaving for the day.

Pupils were being led out of the school when fire crews arrived and no one was trapped in the building or reported injured.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak, and 25 remained at the school this morning damping down.

West Midlands Fire Service spokesman Phil Loach said the crews were expected to remain at the scene until this afternoon.

He said: “Up to 60 per cent of the building, measuring 100 metres by 150 metres, has been affected by the fire, with parts of the building suffering collapse - this has been confined mainly to the gym area. This incident is suspected arson and is under investigation.”

At the height of the fire, the surrounding area of Hillfields was shrouded in thick, grey smoke.

The fire was contained within hours but crews stayed at the scene overnight damping down.

There was no sprinkler system fitted at the site.