belfasttelegraph

Thursday 23 May 2013

Blaze breaks out at special school

A fire has damaged a special school in Co Tyrone, emergency services say

A fire has damaged a special school in Co Tyrone.

The blaze broke out at Heatherbank school in Omagh in the early hours of Saturday morning. There were no reports of injuries.

A total of seven fire engines and specialist vehicles including two aerial appliances were involved in dealing with the blaze at the two-storey building, the fire service said.

A spokesman said: "It is too early to determine the cause of the fire.

"Fire appliances will need to remain at the scene for several hours and it is anticipated that as a result of the fire there may be some traffic disruption."

A police spokeswoman said substantial damage had been caused to the school on the Arvalee Road and officers are treating the blaze as suspicious. A full investigation will take place.

The school is relatively new, having opened in 2004, and caters for pupils aged between three and 19 who have moderate and severe learning difficulties.

MLA Tom Buchanan said the school may have been damaged beyond repair, and temporary accommodation would have to be provided for the pupils.

"Arvalee school is a facility used by all sections of the community and there is a real sense of shock and sadness that anyone might have set out to deliberately attack it," he said.

"The sense of shock goes right across the Omagh district as Arvalee is not just a school but truly is a community facility."

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