The alarm was raised by the caretaking staff at SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School in Great Lever on the morning of Thursday 17 August.
Beginning as a small fire in the roof of a classroom block, the fire spread throughout the roof causing significant damage, as Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) battled to bring the blaze under control. At the height of the incident, ten fire appliances and 85 firefighters from across Greater Manchester were mobilised, with firefighters in breathing apparatus using hose reels to eventually extinguish the fire. Roads were closed, with clouds of thick black smoke affecting the local area.
GMFRS Station Manager Gary Weight said from the scene, "it is a significant fire that has pretty much destroyed the school. Fire investigation teams are on site looking for the cause of the fire.
"They will be here for the next few hours looking for the cause. At this minute we don't know what started it.
He went on to praise the actions of the firefighters, saying, "because it was a significant fire, firefighters had really difficult conditions in there. They have stopped it spreading from all four sides.
"I'd like to give special mention and thank you to them for working under really difficult conditions. It was an intense fire that spread across the whole roof.
"Gaining access to it was a high risk situation, and they got into the building to extinguish the roof fire.
"They did a good job to stop it spreading, because there are properties on all sides."
Staff and local residents reacted with shock at the news, with school headteacher, Katie Jones, calling the incident "heartbreaking".
Simon Bramwell, CEO of Vantage Multi Academy Trust of which the school is a part, said the level of damage is unclear – “There is going to be significant damage, we will have to examine the structure of the roof once the fire is extinguished.
“As far as we know, none of the classrooms have been affected other than smoke damage.”
Speaking to The Bolton News, he thanked the efforts of the firefighters and reported that school officials will be working to find out which parts of the school will be salvageable.
Officials from the Trust have since launched a local appeal for donations of books to replace the resources lost in the blaze, saying, “We have had an overwhelming response already and are so grateful for everybody’s support.”
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “The fire at the school has come as a shock to everyone and we understand that quite rightly parents will be concerned about their children's education moving forward.
“The school and the council’s priority is to minimise disruption to the children's education. The council will be supporting the school to ensure alternative options to accommodate the children are progressed as soon as possible.”
(Photo credit: GMFRS)