An outdoor classroom at a school in Bury St Edmunds is believed to have been deliberately torched by trespassers.
A large plume of smoke hung over the town yesterday evening following the blaze in a meadow behind St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School in Westgate Street.
The classroom, which was made of steel and plastic, was used by the students for the Forest Schools programme.
Two fire engines from Bury St Edmunds attended the scene, with crews taking less than an hour to get the flames under control and prevent them from spreading any further.
The fire service got the call at about 7.50pm.
Maria Kemble, executive head of the school, said the structure had cost £60-70,000, with the cash being collected through fundraising and Lottery bids.
She had been in a governors’ meeting when she saw the smoke and realised part of her school was on fire.
Pat Dacey, district commander for west Suffolk, said: “We are going to have to work closely with colleagues from the police to establish what has happened here and who’s responsible.
“The difficult thing and the sad thing about this is what the headteacher has told you: this is very much a community project, a community asset that has been taken away by what appears to be at the moment a fairly malicious act.”
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