Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 02/Oct 07:05

Fire at St Benedict's College, classes postponed

Doors will remain closed at St Benedict's College until October 3 following a fire which broke out in the auditorium around midday on October 1, prompting the school's evacuation and early dismissal. CEO of the Catholic Education Board of Management, Father David Khan, told Newsday that while the TT Fire Service said damages were contained and it was safe to resume classes on October 2, the Ministry of Education has asked the Environmental Management Authority to perform an air quality test. He said once the results are satisfactory, classes would resume. Khan said the fire began around 12.20 pm in a store room in the auditorium and a student alerted the acting principal. He said the fire service was contacted while students and staff were evacuated to the nearby St Benedict's Church on Alice Street, La Romaine. "All the occupants, they went to the church for their roll call, following all the safety procedures that the school has. All the students were accounted for (and there were) no injuries. The fire was extinguished and there was no major damage to the superstructure." Khan said the emergency protocols functioned as they should and was grateful no one was harmed during the incident. Police blocked off traffic along the Southern Main Road, La Romain in front of the school, sending motorists through detours as the Fire Service contained the blaze. T&TEC also responded to disconnect the school's electricity supply. The resulting traffic prompted parents to park along the South Trunk Road and the surrounding areas, opting instead to go on foot to pick up their children at the church. Savitree Abdool, mother of a Form One student, told Newsday she was at her La Romaine home cooking when she received a call from a friend informing her of the fire. Frightened, she said she dropped everything to run to pick up her son. "It's scary when you saw all the ambulances and the fire brigade. It's scary, the thought that you send your child to school and you don't know what could happen." Other parents told Newsday they did not get the news from the school but rather from friends or their children. The board's CEO said the school was following its relevant procedure to evacuate and account for the children before contacting the parents. "That is part of the protocol; we have to make sure that all students are present before that (calls are made). But with social media...news went out before the school had time (to call)." Fire officials are still conducting investigations to determine the cause of the fire. Khan was unable to give an estimated cost of damages at the time. The post Fire at St Benedict's College, classes postponed appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.