Box Hill South: Huge fire rips through abandoned Hay St international school

Neighbours have spoken of screaming and explosions during a fire that ripped through an international college’s abandoned buildings in Melbourne’s east.

Neighbours heard screams and explosions and had to help roll out hoses as fire ripped through an abandoned school building in Box Hill South, suspected of being used by squatters.

The fire broke out on the second floor of an old classroom building on Hay St, formerly used by Hays International College, about 9.45pm on May 15.

More than 60 firefighters responded to the out of control blaze and took just under an hour to bring it under control.

The charred remains of the old classrooms, and a baby doll lying on the grass, were spotted when Leader visited on Monday morning.

The abandoned building is one of several at the college’s former site which have long frustrated neighbours for their run-down state and alleged use by youths and squatters.

Whitehorse Council had ordered demolition only two-and-a-half weeks earlier, on April 26, and the works were set to begin this week.

Resident Cathie Coates, who lives opposite the site, shared footage with Leader which shows flames coming from the building and distressed young children watching the incident unfold.

Ms Coates said emergency services asked neighbours who had gathered on their front doorsteps to help roll out hoses down the street to assist with efforts to put out the fire.

A baby doll was lying on the grass in front of an abandoned school building which caught on fire in Hay St, Box Hill South on May 15, 2022. Picture: Kiel Egging.

She said she “definitely” heard people screaming, possibly from inside the buildings, which have long been suspected of being used by squatters.

“At first I thought it was dogs, but it was definitely screaming,” Ms Coates said.

“We just walked out the front door and we saw a blaze, it was right there … there were people running everywhere and they had to cut down a section of the fence to get access.”

There have been no reports of injuries from the fire, which police are treating as suspicious.

Leader shed a light on the shocking state of the abandoned school in October 2021, with graffiti, broken glass, mattresses and rubbish spread throughout the old boarding house and across the courtyard.

The council’s director of city development, Jeff Green, said the council issued a demolition notice to the landowner on December 22 for the school’s old hostel building and community centre.

It then requested all buildings on the site be demolished in another notice on April 26.

Mr Green said it was the Private Building Surveyor’s responsibility to issue the permit to “enable the work to commence and for the appointed demolisher to undertake that work”.

Ms Coates, who has lived in the street for 10 years, said the ongoing situation at the site was “horrendous” with people breaking into the building, throwing rocks and waving torches around in recent weeks.

She said another neighbour allegedly saw youths on their bikes outside the buildings about 8.30pm, just over an hour before the fire broke out.

Neighbour Kevin Schwab, who has previously helped the college maintain the site, said youths had continually been breaking into the building.

He said the fire “looked like a candle in the window and it suddenly flared”.

Mr Schwab said the college had been holding classes in other buildings on the site until last month, and said he hoped demolition would take place soon so he “won’t have to look out for it anymore”.

A spokesman for the college, which is now based on Station St in Box Hill, said it was no longer connected to the site.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is urged to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.