Police escort firefighters to tackle blaze at former Larkhall Academy

Feb 11 2010 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

FIREFIGHTERS were given a police escort when they tackled a huge blaze at the former Larkhall Academy.

About 40 firefighters in eight fire appliances were called to the blaze at the former school building on Friday at about 12.15am.

Police went to the scene after fears that firefighters might come under attack from a gang of up to 15 youths who were congregating at the scene.

A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue spokesman said fire crews were called out to the area at least SEVEN times between Monday, February 1, and Sunday, February 7.

As well as the old Academy being torched, tenants in Strutherhill said that vandals had also twice set fire to bins outside Robert Smillie Primary in Glen Avenue, a short distance away from the Academy building.

And two 15-year-old boys were charged after a teacher’s vehicle was set on fire in the new Academy’s car park last Friday morning.

Health and safety executive and police have launched a probe following last Friday’s fire at the former Academy building. It began after an intruder broke into the building, in the town’s Broomhill Road. Much of the building was destroyed.

The crumbling 1970s structure is set to be demolished to make way for 360 houses as part of a £55m retail and housing development.

About 1200 pupils moved into the new £22m Academy, which is built near the old school, last August.

Construction firm Morgan Ashurst, who built the new school, have taken over the old school site while it awaits demolition.

Their security guard, who was on site at the time of the blaze, raised the alarm.

Ninety minutes after the first blaze, a second fire was reported at the site. As fire crews went to tackle the second blaze, they became concerned when up to 15 youths were spotted near the building site. Police went to the scene after they were alerted by firefighters.

Fire crews quickly had the blaze under control and the fire was put out by about 7am.

A nearby resident said people were fed up with youths congregating, drinking and urinating at a lane at the corner of Glen Avenue and using the old Academy as a drinking den.

“It’s a disgrace that it has been set on fire,” she said.

“Teenagers steal residents’ wheelie bins and take them to the old Academy and set them on fire so that they can get a heat.”

Mum Kerry Tait, whose Melrose Avenue home looks onto the back of the site, said: “I think it is dangerous to set a school building on fire as it could have spread to our houses.”

A Morgan Ashurst spokesman vowed to step up security at the site following the blaze and warned youths that they were putting themselves at risk by going into a “dangerous” and “dilapidated” building site.

He said: “This is an extremely dilapidated and dangerous demolition site and we would ask members of the public to stay safe by respecting the security systems in place, which are there for their own protection and safety.”

A Larkhall police spokeswoman appealed for witnesses to the blaze to come forward.

A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue spokesman said they were deeply concerned about the number of fires in the area.

“On February 5, we were called out to the former Larkhall Academy School building.

“About 3am we contacted the police because were concerned about a large number of youths in the area.

“There were no reports of attacks on firefighters.”