'The window had already melted in' Laois school saved from fire

Children in a Laois school narrowly saved from being gutted by a fire are going back to their lessons this week.

The rural community around Paddock National School has rallied around to clear up damage after a fire that is under Garda investigation under suspicion of being deliberately started. 

The school, near Mountrath, was narrowly saved from going fully up in flames after the fire early last Thursday morning, May 4.

However one classroom is “completely destroyed” and it may be months before it can be refurbished.

The school principal Bernadette  Fitzpatrick told the Leinster Express / Laois Live how close a call it was.

“The alarm went off at 1.45am alerting myself and the caretaker. I thought it was just a matter of going in to turn it off, but as I arrived I could see the flaming fire. 

“Given another ten minutes we would have been in bigger trouble, the whole building would have been alight,” she said.

“The fire seems to have begun outside. It had gone up the external wall and was getting into the roof.  The window had already melted in,” she said. 

The disaster was averted by a local person who arrived on the scene and used a fire extinguisher that luckily is stored outside the school, to keep the flames in check until the fire crews arrived 15 minutes later. 

A fire crew from Mountrath station assisted by the Mountmellick crew extinguished the fire.

However one of the four classrooms in the school is “completely destroyed” the principal said.

Paddock NS has six staff who teach 74 boys and girls over three mainstream classrooms and one special education class.

“It was the classroom for 4th, 5th and 6th classes. We were able to salvage the desks but there is a lot of smoke damage. Books were destroyed,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

The school reopens on Tuesday, May 9 after a forced three day closure.

“It has been a tough few days. We had to work extraordinarly hard for the last few days, with the help of assessors and electricians, to gut the room completely.

“We will use our GP room as a temporary classroom. It probably mightn't be fixed until the summer,” the principal said.

“The rest of the school will be fully able to function,” she added. 

Gardaí  also attended the fire on the night, and have launched an investigation, including door to door calls.

Gardaí confirmed to the Leinster Express that an investigation is underway, but they say that a crime of arson cannot be confirmed.

“It seems to have started outside. The bins are missing, but the Gardaí haven't clarified what happened,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

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“It has been a huge upheavel to the whole community. 

“Our school is a part of the community. You just never expect that. Everyone is very upset but also very supportive and helpful,” the principal said.