By Samantha Simon
The quick thinking of villagers averted tragedy at Urlings Primary School over the Easter weekend.
The incident unfolded when a group of individuals, including Joshuanette Francis and her three nephews, noticed plumes of smoke rising from the schoolyard as they were driving home.
Without hesitation, they sprang into action, with Francis quickly contacting emergency services as well as the school’s principal, while the others rushed to the scene.
Despite the urgency of the situation, they didn’t wait for official assistance.
Instead, they immediately opened the gates and began efforts to contain the fire.
Improvising with whatever resources were available, they broke a pipe to access water when the faucets proved insufficient, as well as employing the use of a rake to attempt to suppress the fire with the aid of another resident.
The severity of the situation was evident in the flames’ proximity to the school building, which posed a significant risk to the entire structure.
Eyewitnesses noted the rapid spread of the fire due to the dry conditions, and that it burned the grass on two sides of the building, coming close to setting the structure ablaze as well.
The fire had allegedly been set by the school’s grounds keeper, in an attempt to dispose of some cut brush.
The young man reportedly left the fire unattended, and assumed it had burnt itself out.
Fire officers who arrived on the scene confirmed that he had burnt the material without first getting a fire permit, and had not taken the proper precautions to ensure that the fire was controlled.
The young man was taken into custody for further questioning.
This fire was not the only one reported over the Easter weekend as the St John’s Fire Station was called to action multiple times to put out bush fires in the surrounding areas.
The team of firemen responded promptly to three separate calls on Easter Sunday alone, which required their immediate attention and expertise.
The fires were located in Donavan’s, Jennings, and Ottos, but thankfully, there were no reports of property damage in any of the cases.
The following day, Monday, the firemen were also called out mid-morning, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
The St John’s Fire Station has been the most active station in terms of fire calls this year, receiving 70 out of the 103 fire calls reported so far.