Two teens, 15, charged with arson over St Mark’s College fire in Port Pirie

The Education Minister has responded after a pair of 15-year-old boys was charged with arson for one of two school fires in the first days of holidays.

The fire at St Mark's College in Port Pirie South was on the first day of the school holidays. Picture: SAPOL

Two boys have been charged with arson after a fire ripped through a classroom at a private college in Port Pirie South on the first day of the school holidays.

The blaze started in a classroom on the secondary campus of St Mark’s College, at The Terrace, with reports of heavy smoke and visible flames emanating from a building about 3.30am on Monday.

On Tuesday, police confirmed a pair of 15-year-old boys had been arrested and charged after an investigation.

Two boys have been charged with arson after a fire at a private college in Port Pirie South. Picture: SAPOL

The ferocious blaze engulfed a classroom. Picture: SAPOL

St Mark’s College principal Dr Sandra Hewson said on Monday that the fire would be “upsetting for our college community”.

“The full extent of the damage and the cause of the fire is still being determined,” Dr Hewson said.

“We’re working closely with the relevant authorities on this matter.”

Dr Hewson was “extremely thankful to the local emergency services who worked quickly to contain the fire”.

The teenagers, one from Port Pirie South and the other from Solomontown, were charged with arson and granted police bail to appear in Port Pirie Youth Court on June 11.

On Monday, an MFS spokeswoman said “access was difficult” to the classroom due to bollards around the school.

When fire crews gained entry, they contained the blaze to one building and the attached toilet block within 20 minutes.

The fire did not damage any other parts of the school.

On Tuesday, an unrelated school fire in the Adelaide Hills saw several people on a school camp evacuated as firefighters arrived to find a classroom in flames.

Those responsible for setting schools on fire “should meet the full force of the law”, Education Minister Blair Boyer said following the two blazes.

“It’s a shocking act,” Mr Boyer said

“My heart goes out to those school communities in the Hills and Port Pirie.”

The schools now face a “very very difficult time”.

“Hopefully rebuilds can happen as soon as possible,” he said.

“These are special places, not just for the people who work here, this is their workplace but for young students as well.

“It raises a lot of questions for young people … and they don’t understand why something like that would happen.

“Indeed I don’t understand why something like that would happen.”

Mr Boyer ruled out extra security in public schools under the government’s jurisdiction “at this stage”.

“But we’re always up for putting in place measures like that to protect our schools,” he said.

“Often these things happen in spates and we always monitor that very very closely to see if there’s anything we need to do.”

Originally published as Two teens, 15, charged with arson over St Mark’s College fire in Port Pirie