A southern Tasmanian school has received ’significant damage’ in a mystery Monday night fire

UPDATED: An arson investigation has opened into an overnight fire that caused up to $200,000 damage to a southern Tasmanian high school.

Quick action by TFS crews has been credited with sparing Kingston High School from greater damage in an overnight fire. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

UPDATED: An arson investigation has opened into an overnight fire that caused up to $200,000 damage to a southern Tasmanian high school.

Tasmania Police said experts had determined the blaze at Kingston High School, which broke out about 9.45pm yesterday, was deliberately lit.

Inspector David Wiss said the fire started against a wall outside school’s futures building, causing up to $200,000 damage.

He said fire crews noticed the school was alight when they were attending a nearby fire in scrubland at the dog-walking area behind the high school.

“While Tasmania Fire Service were attending, they saw a second fire to a classroom block at the school,” Insp Wiss said in a statement.

“The fire had been lit using pallets lying against the outside wall of the Our Space classroom.

“The fire then extended into the classroom, causing extensive damage valued between $100,000 and $200,000.”

Insp Wiss said police were following a “particular line of inquiry” but officers were still keen to speak to any witnesses.

Anyone with information should contact Kingston CIB on 131444.

Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, online at crimestopperstas.com.au or 131 444.

EARLIER: A southern Tasmanian high school has suffered significant damage in an overnight fire but remains “fully operational”.

Tasmania Fire Service senior station officer Scott Vinen said crews from Kingston, Margate and Hobart were alerted to the blaze at Kingston View Drive shortly after 10.20pm yesterday by a wave of triple-0 calls.

Mr Viven said Kingston High School’s futures building, which was also used for a community outreach program, sustained significant damage.

“On arrival crews located an outbuilding constructed from refrigerator panels and foam alight,” Mr Vinen said.

It was not yet known how the fire started.

Inside the damaged high school building at Kingston. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Mr Viven said the fire could have caused a lot more damage to the school if crews — who were attending a nearby fire at Gormley Drive — had not arrived when they did.

A police spokesman said forensics officers and fire investigators were expected to begin investigations at the site this morning.

A post of the school’s Facebook page this morning said it remained “fully operational” despite the blaze.

The fire-hit area was not part of the main campus, the post said, “so we will be teaching and learning together as always”.

Kingston High School principal Libby Robinson said the closure of the school was never seriously considered despite the interior of the school’s futures building receiving “extensive damage”.

“We lost an amount of learning resources as a result of the fire and the building is now unusable, but the shell of the structure is still intact,” she said.

“Our school is segmented into 11 separate buildings and the affected building has been cordoned off from the main campus so the opening of the school on Tuesday was never in doubt.

“We are relocating the learning space from the futures building to our library, so our message is that nothing gets in the way of our teaching and learning. The fire was just a very minor dent to the start of the day.”