A FIRE at Inverkeithing High has led to the school being forced to stay shut today (Friday).
Police say there are no suspicious circumstances around the blaze, which took place in the kitchen and dining area, and the school says damage is still being assessed.
The building had been due to re-open after three days of strikes however the school confirmed late on Thursday that the building would stay closed.
READ MORE: Strike action sees closure of schools across Kingdom
A message sent to parents stated: "The fire is out and damage assessment has still to take place. We have had to make the decision to close the building tomorrow and will be in touch with updates as soon as they are available."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson confirmed six fire appliances attended at the scene.
"We were alerted at 9.21pm on Thursday, 28 September to reports of a fire affecting a school building on Hillend Road, Inverkeithing," said the spokesperson.
"Operations Control mobilised two appliances and a further four were requested to attend the scene, where crews worked to make the area safe.
"There were no reported casualties."
READ MORE: Family pays tribute to Inverkeithing teenager Carly Kilpatrick following death
A Police Scotland spokesperson added: "Around 9.40pm on Thursday, 28 September, 2023, police were called to a report of a fire at a school in Hillend Road, Inverkeithing.
"Emergency services attended and the fire was extinguished.
"There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident."
Head of education and children’s services, Shelagh McLean, said they are hoping the school will reopen on Monday.
“Thankfully no one was in the building at the time, and no one was hurt," she said.
"The fire service and the school’s janitorial team were on the scene very quickly after the alarm was raised.
"The fire has affected the kitchen and dining area of the school on the ground floor of A Block. Our understanding is the fire was caused by an electrical appliance.
“A water pipe has burst because of the heat and we took the decision last night to close the school to staff and pupils today while we carry out a full assessment of the damage.
“Our intention is to open the school to all pupils on Monday and we will be in touch with parents to give them more details on how the school will operate without access to A Block.
"The fire also affected electrical supply to Treetops Nursery which is closed today until power can be restored.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here