Councillor hits out at 'mindless act' fire
A fire that tore through the former hall of Wednesfield High School was today described as a 'mindless act' that could have put people's lives at risk.
Fire crews were called to the Lakefield Road site following reports of smoke billowing from the two-storey building. Within minutes, a plume of thick, black smoke could be seen up to three miles away. Police closed off Lakefield Road between March End Road and Lichfield Road as crews tackled the blaze.
West Midlands Police spokeswoman Gina Lycett said today: "We can confirm that the fire is being treated as arson."
Five fire engines and an aerial platform tackled the blaze, containing it in the disused hall and preventing it from spreading throughout the rest of the building. Despite being empty, there was furniture left in old classrooms that could have caught fire, along with the rest of the structure.
The hall was destroyed by the blaze and a structural engineer from Wolverhampton City Council has now visited the site to assess the extent of the damage.
The council is set to dispose of the old site by 2016.
Cabinet member for education, Councillor Phil Page said: "This was a mindless act which could have put lives at risk, and we are working closely with police and the fire service as they investigate the circumstances of Sunday's blaze.
"I am sure that former pupils and teachers who have happy memories of the old school will share my disappointment at the actions of these individuals.
"Our engineers were on-site making the building safe and the site secure.
"It's important to stress that this incident has not had any impact on the new Wednesfield High School."
The school was open as normal yesterday as fire crews remained at the building.
Up to 50 people were watching the fire at its height and crews had to lock a gate to the school to prevent anyone from going inside.
The old building was vacated in 2013 as pupils and staff moved into its new £14.6m site on Lichfield Road.
It was part of £270 million of Building School for the Future projects for schools in Wolverhampton and saw the building of a new main teaching block that includes maths, English and food technology departments, as well as a community sports hall. There was also a new science, technology and engineering block built.
Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, who is a governor at the school, said he was saddened that the fire could be arson.
He said: "I'm speechless in all honestly. The school building was part of Wednesfield and part of its history. We don't know why anyone would want to set fire to it but it is upsetting that this is arson.
"A lot of people have fond memories of that building and the school and someone has come along and set fire to it. I have no idea why" The fire service said that they were officially done with the scene at around 8.15am yesterday, but were revisiting the site throughout the day to assess the building.
Anyone with information is urged to call Wolverhampton police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
