Firefighters believe an arsonist could have started a blaze which threatened the lives of more than 800 pupils at a Southend school.

Pupils at Southend High School for Girls, in Southchurch Boulevard, were sent home after a first-floor fire threatened to engulf the school roof yesterday.

Firefighters from Southend and Shoebury had breathing apparatus and thermal imaging cameras to tackle the blaze in a darkroom, which they say could have been started deliberately.

Blaze : firefighters prepare to leave the school after the fire Picture: ROB BROWNE

The fire, the second in two weeks at the school, took hold at 10am.

Design and technology support technician Martin Vann grabbed the two nearest fire extinguishers.

A school spokesman said: "Everyone got out safely and no one was hurt.

"Of course it is a serious concern for the school and we do not know why it happened."

Martyn Hodder, Southend station commander, said: "Thick smoke was coming from one doorway leading to a darkroom. The area has suffered considerable damage.

"We are treating the cause of the blaze as suspicious."

He praised teachers who evacuated children safely and Mr Vann who tackled the blaze. He said: "The fire went beyond the capability of the extinguishers but in having a go the technician delayed the development of the fire considerably so we had a less serious blaze to tackle."

Published Tuesday, April 29, 2003

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