Durban - A FIRE which saw a chapel and hall engulfed by flames has seen Inanda Seminary School to bring half term forward and send pupils home on Thursday.
When the Daily News arrived at the school while firefighters were battling the blaze, the paper was turned away at the gate and was told a statement would be released.
It was reported that smoke was seen coming out of the chapel by people inside the school.
“EThekwini Fire Department division’s Bruce De Gier and his team responded to Inanda Seminary at 07:24 this morning. The first fire truck arrived at 07:38 from our Ntuzuma Fire Station, with vehicles from Phoenix, Umhlanga and Verulam arriving soon after. The Church was seen to be well alight, with no other buildings next to it.
“Firefighting had commenced immediately. Flames had been doused by 08:50. The fire tore through every wooden structure in the chapel inside the school,” said Jesse Yasudas, eThekwini Fire & Emergency Services’ division commander.
The school is an independent Christian girls’ boarding secondary, one of the oldest in the country having been founded in 1869 by American missionaries.
The cause of the fire was still unknown yesterday and no one was reported injured during the incident.
De Gier said that it took a 10-men team along with two fire engines and two water tanks to put out the fire in an hour.
“It seems that people around the school were occupied when the incident started and no one really knows what the cause was,” said De Gier.
The school had started using the chapel this month after having it closed because of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Each class in the school hosts devotions daily.
Yesterday the school, on its website, asked that parents make arrangements to fetch their daughters as it had decided to bring half-term forward.
“In response to the situation, we have decided to bring half-term forward. It will be from today until 4pm on Wednesday 2 June. Parents are requested to make arrangements to collect their daughters as soon as possible, preferably Thursday 27th, but otherwise on Friday or Saturday. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause. This will give us time to ensure the safety of the campus and make suitable accommodation arrangements,” read the message to parents.
The school’s executive director Judy Tate said that the fire broke out at 7am yesterday morning in a building on the school’s campus.
“The fire was contained, only affecting the seminary’s chapel and chapel hall which are on the periphery of the school’s property,” she said.
According to Tate, the building structure where the fire occurred remained intact while the furniture and the roof were completely gone.
“The bricks and structure of these buildings remain completely intact without a single crack but the wooden rafters, beams, roof and furniture were gutted entirely,” said Tate.
Daily News