Quick action averts school fire disaster (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Quick action averts school fire disaster

Debbie Steven and St John's School caretaker Steve Sheen, whose prompt actions helped stop fire from spreading.A CARETAKER has been hailed a hero this week for stopping a fire from spreading out of control at St John's Primary School in Tisbury.

The fire broke out just after 3pm last Wednesday, while the school was closed for the half-term holiday, so no pupils or staff were in the building.

But if caretaker Steve Sheen had not tackled the blaze, there might not have been a school to return to on Monday.

Debbie Steven, assistant manager at nearby Tisbury and district sports centre, spotted smoke and flames coming out of the school's roof and rang the fire brigade and Mr Sheen. He got a ladder and sped round to the school.

"I could see the blaze go through the roof," said Mr Sheen (54), who has been caretaker for 18 years.

"I went on to the roof and put the fire out - Debbie fed me the two extinguishers from the sports centre.

"Then I could see the fire going up the curtains in the hall, so I unlocked the school and got two extinguishers from in there.

"The building was full of smoke, so I held my breath, kept down low and squirted the contents of the extinguisher.

"I put the fire out and then noticed some glowing embers on the roof, so I ran back into the school to get another extinguisher, went back on the roof and squirted that one."

Mr Sheen said he didn't stop to think of his own safety.

"I was hyped up and ready to go," he said, "You don't worry about your own life, you just do it." He added: "If it had not been for Debbie, the fire would not have been spotted."

St John's headteacher Beaty Aldous said she was grateful to the sports centre staff for spotting the fire.

"And we are particularly grateful to Steve Sheen, who bravely entered the hall, which was full of smoke, and put out the flames, preventing the fire spreading to the rest of the building," she said.

"We also thank the fire brigades for all that they did."

Station Officer Rob Wallbridge, of Salisbury fire station, praised Mr Sheen's actions.

"He used four fire extinguishers and managed to hold the fire in check before we arrived," he said.

"Crews from Mere and Shaftesbury attended and we stayed for three hours, as we had to cut away some cladding and a section of the roof to get into the voids, to make sure the fire did not spread.

"We are still investigating the cause of the fire but have discounted suspicious circumstances."

A spokesman for education authority Wiltshire county council said the school opened as normal on Monday.

"We understand the caretaker worked very quickly and his prompt actions undoubtedly saved the school from further damage," he said.