Firefighters spent hours tackling a blaze at a derelict school.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were called to Clarence High School on West Lane in Formby in the early hours of Saturday, April 15. Firefighters were called at 1.03am before arriving at the scene at 1.08am, with six fire engines attending and an aerial appliance at the height of the incident.
When crews arrived they were met with the third floor and roof well alight at the empty school building, with firefighters nursing two main water jets at various access points. One crew of firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire on the third floor while another tackled the blaze roof area.
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The blaze was put out by 4.05am, with firefighters spending the best part of two hours dampening down the scene before leaving at 6.02am. The school was shut in 2018 due to "financial pressures" which left the company running it, Nugent Care, to announce the closure.
An MFRS spokesperson told the ECHO: "Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service attended an incident at Clarence High School, West Lane, Formby, in the early hours of Saturday 15 April.
"Crews were alerted at 01.03 and two fire engines were on scene at 01.08. At the height of the incident, a total of 6 fire engines and an aerial appliance were at the scene for water and personnel. On arrival crews were met with an unoccupied school, of brick-built construction, measuring 50m x 30m, the third floor and roof space of which was well alight.
"Firefighters quickly utilised two main jets at various access points. One team of two firefighters in breathing apparatus (BA) were committed to the third floor with a main jet and crews gained access to the building to check for fire spread. While the aerial appliance and two main jets were set up and made operational, firefighting activities within the building ceased.
"Merseyside Police were in attendance to manage the outer cordon. As a result of the crews' diligent efforts to tackle the blaze, at 03.48, the incident was scaled down and two fire engines were released from the scene.
"By 04.05 the fire had been extinguished and the aerial appliance was no longer in use, while firefighters in BA were committed to the first and second floors of the building for damping down and hot-spotting with a high-pressure hose reel. A further fire engine was then released from the incident, while all remaining firefighters continued to hotspot, damp down and monitor temperature readings.
"Following completion of hot-spotting and damping down activities, crews handed the scene over to Merseyside Police, made up equipment and left the scene at 06.02."
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