Suspicious fire destroys building at NSW school
Police are investigating a suspicious fire which destroyed a building at a school in the NSW northern rivers region.
More than 50 firefighters and 10 fire trucks responded to multiple Triple Zero calls about the blaze in a building at Richmond River High School, in North Lismore, about 6.30pm yesterday.
Residents saw flames and thick smoke billowing from the building which was due for demolition.
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Police are investigating a suspicious fire which destroyed a building at Richmond River High School. Fire and Rescue NSW
Crews worked for several hours to contain the blaze, which was located at the front of the school and impacting adjoining buildings.
Firefighters successfully established cut-off points and contained the fire.
However, the intensity of the fire led to a building collapse at the front of the school, which added to the complexity of the operation.
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The site was handed over to NSW Police today to investigate the cause of the fire. 9News
Firefighters then turned their efforts to protecting adjoining buildings and extinguishing hotspots.
Crews rotated through the night and into the morning.
A drone was used to assist in identifying and extinguishing remaining hotspots.
Several firefighters were treated at the scene for suspected dehydration and heat exhaustion by NSW Ambulance Paramedics.
One firefighter was transported to hospital as a precaution, and has since been cleared and released.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being treated as suspicious.
The site was handed over to NSW Police today to investigate the cause of the fire.
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