School bosses say they are looking into alternatives for pupils ahead of the new academic year - as the current building has been destroyed in a huge fire.
The fire at SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School in Great Lever was first reported to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) at around 8.30am yesterday, August 17.
Starting in the roof of the school and initially staying relatively small, by midday the fire had ripped through the entire roof of one of the buildings.
Now, following firefighters getting it under control, the cause of the blaze is being investigated.
Gary Weight, Station Manager at Rochdale, was on scene this morning.
He said: "It is a significant fire that has pretty much destroyed the school. Fire investigation teams are on site looking for the cause of the fire.
"They will be here for the next few hours looking for the cause. At this minute we don't know what started it.
"It's hard for the local community with school starting in three weeks.
"We currently have two appliances and one aerial appliance."
He continued: "We are damping down the fire and reassuring people in the area it is under control and there is no risk to local residents.
"Because it was a significant fire, firefighters had really difficult conditions in there.
This is the scene at SS Simon and Jude, following yesterday’s severe blaze. Some roads remain closed off and GMFRS investigators are on scene to ascertain the cause of the fire. @TheBoltonNews pic.twitter.com/bH6cyDOCJk
— Zach Harrison (@zachhjourno) August 18, 2023
"They have stopped it spreading from all four sides.
"I'd like to give special mention and thank you to them for working under really difficult conditions."
He added: "It was an intense fire that spread across the whole roof.
"Gaining access to it was a high risk situation, and they got into the building to extinguish the roof fire.
"They put themselves in harm's way to try and save the school.
"They did a good job to stop it spreading, because there are properites on all sides."
Station Manager Weight continued: "We have planned for it, trained for it and are able to resource it correctly.
"The successful outcome is down to risk planning."
He estimates that there were around 85 firefighters at the scene, rising to around 100 fire service staff altogether.
One resident said: "I went to the orginal school before it moved to this building. I think I felt it more because I saw the first brick being laid.
"All four of my children went to this school, as well as some of my grandchildren.
"It brought tears to my eyes when it went up."
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “The fire at the school has come as a shock to everyone and we understand that quite rightly parents will be concerned about their children's education moving forward.
“Over the next couple of days, the fire service will make safe the site to allow investigators to determine the cause of the fire, and for the extent of the damage to be assessed. The school and the academy trust will then be able to determine their next actions.
“The school and the council’s priority is to minimise disruption to the children's education. The council will be supporting the school to ensure alternative options to accommodate the children are progressed as soon as possible.
“The school are hoping to communicate with parents early next week about the next steps.”
A message on SS Simon and Jude's website reads: "Regarding the fire at SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School on 17th August ’23, we would like to reassure everyone that no one has been hurt and to thank our firefighters who worked tirelessly to bring it under control.
"The school principal will email parents directly with further updates and information - school can be reached via their office email: sssjoffice@vantageacademies.co.uk."
Speaking yesterday afternoon, CEO of Vantage Academies Trust, Simon Bramwell, told The Bolton News that school officials will be in meetings today to find out which parts of the school will be salvageable, with a meeting with parents set to take place on Monday.
For up to date information, see our live blog: UPDATES: Emergency services continue to respond to devastating school fire
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