School Blaze

Large sections of Selsey Academy located in West Sussex have been destroyed by fire.

18:00 22 August 2016

Selsey Academy, which main building dates from the early 1960s, has been reduced to skeleton following a huge fire. More than 75 firefighters responded to the scene after the fire broke out about 08:00 BST.

 

Dr Chrissie Tizzard, who lives opposite the school, said she saw "plumes and plumes of black smoke towering above the house, rather like an apocalypse".

 

Sussex Police confirmed that an officer directing the traffic at the scene was hit by a Vauxhall Corsa and has been taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

 

Chairman of governors Bill Emerson said the school was devastated.

 

"There is a possibility we might be able to save a small section of the school and the emergency services are doing their best to do that," he said earlier.

 

"But it is amazing how quickly the fire has spread.

 

"It's shocking. The structures are effectively a skeleton now compared to what they were and we have still got fire raging in sections."

 

"It's the only secondary school in the peninsula and it is going to be devastating to the community.

 

"There are contingency plans in place to make sure the children can pick up their GCSE results [on Thursday] and to make sure we can provide education to children when they start the school year."