Fire destroys classrooms
at Barrackpore school

FOUR CLASSROOMS at the Barrackpore Senior Secondary School were destroyed in a late night fire which started at around 10:05 pm Wednesday on the third floor of the Physics Science Block. There are six rooms on the third floor.

The rooms on the third floor which suffered the most damage were the General Purpose room and the Physics area.

According to reports, MTS security personnel on duty at the school saw smoke coming from the top of Block F. They immediately called the Fire Service.

Personnel from the Princes Town Fire Station arrived on the   scene to battle the blaze. A fire hydrant on the school compound made the job easier for the firemen.  Lab equipment, chairs, desks were among the items destroyed.

Officers were able to stop the fire from spreading to the lower floors which house the Chemistry and other labs. There was water damage to one of the classes on the third floor, as well as to rooms on the second and first floors.

Some Science School Based Assessment Assessments (SBA) assignments by Fifth Form students were damaged in the blaze.

With CXC examinations not too far away there was some concern that students might have had to re-do their assignments but school officials said most were still decipherable.

Investigators are working on the theory that the blaze may be attributed to an electrical problem. The building is said to be near 30 years old. Yesterday TTEC personnel visited the scene.

The Barrackpore Senior Secondary School accommodates some 1,500 students.

However, authorities said the fact that exams are in progress means that not everyone is required to attend classes daily. It is unlikely, therefore, that accommodation will become an immediate problem.

Even where there might be a shortage of space, Newsday was told, some space can be found by converting the school’s library. The cost of damage is estimated at $1.5 million and investigations are continuing.