AN INVESTIGATION is underway after more than 30 firefighters tackled a fire at Monmouth School last Tuesday (20th September).

The fire, which took place on the first floor of the science block, took place at around 7pm. The fire service were called soon after and crews put the fire out quickly and without incident.

There were no injuries, and the building was empty at the time.

Dr Andrew Daniel, Headmaster of Monmouth School said: “The small fire last Tuesday evening was originally detected by two separate processes: a boarder in school spotted the fire and immediately asked a staff member to telephone 999; at the same time, our fire alarm system activated and automatically notified the emergency telephone of our on-site duty porter. 

“He was then able to invoke our emergency procedures, contacting key senior management and support staff to call them into school.  The quick actions of the boarder and of these staff were fundamental in avoiding more extensive damage and I am very grateful to them.  The response from the emergency services was astonishingly rapid: within minutes we had seven fire appliances and police on site, together with a large number of our staff to manage the school during the incident.

“During Wednesday, (21st September) fire service personnel were back on site and they have classified the small fire as accidental, caused, we think, by a short-circuited battery.  We had recently commissioned a health and safety audit of the school and the assessors were impressed with the Science Department in this audit: they referred to the department as showing “good levels of conscientiousness” and having “good procedures which are normally inherent in such departments”. 

“On Thursday, we then organised a series of inspections of the science block to check integrity of gas systems, the electrical system, the windows and the structure of the building.  These inspections have confirmed that the vast majority of the building can soon be reoccupied. 

“One positive aspect of the design of the science block is that the fire-insulating material between rooms has been very effective: although two rooms are damaged, the insulating material acted to contain the fire.  Other rooms, and the corridor spaces and stairwells, are essentially undamaged.

 We will recommence teaching in the science block as soon as we have completed a deep-clean of the building. 

“We hope that laboratories in biology and physics will be ready for reoccupation by the end of this week.  Chemistry laboratories, all being well, should be ready at some point in the following week.  Lessons in the damaged rooms will be relocated to various other laboratories, and this will be straightforward for us to plan.  I have briefed the boys on these arrangements and also thanked them for their calm and friendly support during the incident. 

“It is to the great credit of the boys and staff of Monmouth School that our day-to-day lessons have been essentially uninterrupted by the fire.”