A FIRE which destroyed a tiny village school is a tragedy say parents, staff and governors.

Flames ripped through the main building of Powerstock Primary School near Bridport yesterday morning.

By the time firefighters got there at 6.30am they found a roaring inferno with the roof ablaze.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service Incident Commander Toman Lau said the fire had taken such a hold there was no way the main part of the Victorian school could be saved. No-one was injured in the blaze, thought to have been caused by an electrical fault that began in the IT suite.

The school’s modern extension was not affected by the fire and it is hoped pupils can restart there after the half-term next week.

The rescue operation was hampered as there are no fire hydrants in the village, said Mr Lau. He said: “We carry 500 gallons of water but the first pump ran out of water in three minutes.

“The second pump arrived, that was another three minutes. Then we had to get the water from the river and that takes time. Our main priority is to save the buildings next door.”

Mr Lau added that there was no evidence the fire was started deliberately.

The village road was closed by police and electricity was off for several hours while wires were made safe.

The two families either side of the school were the first to raise the alarm.

Charlotte and Andrew Miller and their children Will and Ed saw the flames.

Mrs Miller said: “It was like just an inferno. It was massive, it was horrible, it was really noisy. All the terracotta tiles were cracking.”

Headteacher Jean-Paul Draper said he was ‘devastated’ and praised quick-thinking firefighters who took the school’s computer server out of the new extension.

He added: “We are very grateful that there were no children or staff on the premises at the time and that no-one was harmed.”

Pupils' loss

THE Victorian part of the school which was destroyed by Monday’s fire was the Key Stage One classroom but the buildings that have survived include a mobile classroom and the Key Stage 2 classroom.

The school was rated ‘good’ by Oftsed inspectors in the summer.

Headteacher Jean-Paul Draper was appointed last year. Before him there were two acting heads.

Thomas Sanctuary, vicar of Powerstock, founded the school in 1848.