Long Eaton junior school destroyed in large fire

A primary school has been wrecked in a fire which sent huge plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Dozens of firefighters tackled the blaze at Harrington Junior School, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, which broke out at about 12:10 BST.

Two firefighters were taken to hospital but their injuries are not serious.

In a statement, the school said there were no pupils in the building at the time but staff had been left "heartbroken" by the blaze.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said everyone was "safe and accounted for".

Police are also at the scene and have urged people to avoid the area where possible.

The school was evacuated and everyone was accounted for

Gavin Tomlinson, Derbyshire's chief fire officer, said it was a "tragic loss to the community" and "50 firefighters tried really hard to save it".

A spokesman said the injured firefighters were in the first crew on site and were hurt as they tried to get into the building.

They added an investigation into the cause would begin as soon as it was safe to do so.

Fire crews from at least seven stations in three counties tackled the blaze

Schools in England, which had been open only to vulnerable children and those of key workers during the pandemic, are due to open more widely next week.

But the plans have sparked concerns from teaching unions, head teachers and many local authorities.

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Former pupil Polly Barton, 15, lives nearby and saw the fire not long after it started.

"I was just in my room and I noticed these orange flames and big clouds of smoke so I just shouted into the garden to my step dad Daniel 'fire, fire'.

"They came up and had a look and it was just big clouds of black smoke and I couldn't believe what I was seeing," she said.

Smoke has been seen from the M1

Adrian Webster, who attended the school as a child, said he had heard "several small explosions" which sounded like "pops".

"The fire alarms are still audible from the main road here," he added.

Dave Holloway, 42, has two children at the school and said they were both upset.

He added: "If the building is unsafe and unstable and the kids can't go back that will be awful.

"My children are both very much looking forward to going back to school as soon as they can."

The fire has destroyed many of the buildings on site

Nearby Derby Road was closed in both directions, causing delays on some bus routes.

Local councillor Dan Pitt tweeted: "Terribly sad scenes at Harrington Junior School which is usually a lovely and vibrant school."

Interruptions to the power supply mean nearby Wilsthorpe secondary school will also be closed on Friday.