Arvalee School Fire: Politicians Share Shock

Politicians in the Omagh area have expressed shock at the fire that swept through a special school in the town on Friday night.

The Tyrone Constitution newspaper spoke to elected representatives who arrived at the scene of Arvalee School and Resource Centre on Saturday morning to view the extent of the damage caused by the blaze.

The chairman of Omagh District Council, Errol Thompson, has a nephew who was a past pupil of the school.

He said: My nephew spent most of his primary school years here and we are all shocked by what has happened - it is just so hard to believe. I got the call at around 12.45am and at that stage the flames were quite small, and there was a lot of smoke billowing out of the building. But it spread rapidly, destroying around 75 per cent of the building. Everyone is in a complete state of shock, the parents, staff, pupils, they are all totally devastated.

"Sadly, the destruction caused here isn't just to the building - but to the tens of thousands of pounds worth of specialist equipment that won't be easily replaced."

And Omagh town councillor Sorcha McAnespie said: “I arrived at around midnight and was met with devastating scenes. As a mother myself, I know first hand the work that goes into getting your children ready for the new school year, so I express particular empathy with the parents involved."

Fellow town councillor Paddy McGowan said the damage caused would be felt across the district and beyond.

He said: “My heart goes out to the staff, the parents and the young people who this week have nowhere to go. Arvalee school has been a household name in this area for many years and it is heartbreaking to see it destroyed like this."

Politicians from across the area also renewed calls for anyone with information on how the fire started to get in contact with the police.

Meanwhile, education minister John O’Dowd has instructed officials in his department to fast track a new build school for Arvalee on a section of the Lisanelly Educational campus site.

(NE)