Fire and asbestos close Fife primary school
Following a serious fire last week, a primary school in Fife has been forced to temporarily close after fire crews found asbestos in the walls of the building.
The fire started at Tulliallan Primary School last Monday30th August at around 2.40am, in an external wall cavity. Three fire engines rushed to the scene from Dunfermline, using four pumps, two hose reel jets, thermal imaging equipment and a special decontamination unit to tackle the fire.
The location of the fire meant it was difficult for firefighters – even those with specialist fire safety training for this kind of situation – to access it safely. Nevertheless, the fire was eventually extinguished.
The fire service have confirmed that although no classrooms sustained any significant damage during the incident, there was extensive smoke damage to some parts of the building.
Pupils at the school enjoyed a day off whilst fire crews were on the scene, but the discovery of asbestos within the building has meant that the school will be closed for at least a week whilst health and safety checks are carried out.
The senior education manager for Fife Council, James McKinstry, explained:
“As with most buildings of this age, the school does contain asbestos, which will require to be carefully managed in the clean-up operation.”
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