Tags: Google Earth, Misc
Penyrheol School Gutted by Fire
March 18th, 2006, by Rich.
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Penyrheol Comprehensive School (where I used to do an evening football class, and a team which our school rugby team played against regularly) has been razed to the ground by fire.
Mum lives very near to the school and noticed “what looked like a house on fire” at about 01:30 and was about to call the emergency services when she saw blue lights so observed the events as they unfolded.
Two hours later (03:30) in gale force easterly winds, the fire continued to blaze - Emergency services swarmed all over the local roads to the west of the school, sensibly keeping out of the smoke when it’s not necessary.
Mum reported seeing people up ladders and hearing things exploding.
By 05:00 the fire was under control, but extensive damage had occurred. A large proportion of the school has been razed: science, business, computing, staff areas, dining rooms & kitchens all flat to the ground.
Surviving the fire
The Leisure Centre which adjoins the school to the east (a favourite for kids birthday parties) has slight smoke damage. The English and Maths departments have survived, but a lot of coursework and school records have been lost. There is some hope that work which teachers and kids did on computers (including assignments and grades) is likely to exist in different forms on home computers, laptops and on backup disks in various places, so it’s not as complete a loss as it would have been just a few years ago.
Photos
Clicking on each photo will take you to a flickr (photo sharing) page where you can download high resolution copies.
Press Coverage
The story has been picked up by the BBC, and as other agencies publish reports, they’ll be listed here (archived stories here).
Google Earth Location / Model
This is a Google Earth placemark which identifies the school’s location, and includes a (fairly simple) 3d model of the former building illustrating what’s been destroyed.
Previous Fire
The school was rebuilt in 1976 after a fire destroyed the previous buildings. A couple of photo’s of that fire are available on the web at the Gorseinon History Archive (here and here).
October 5th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Hi,
I was shocked to find out that my old school had burnt down. I attended there from 76 through to 83 and the notable thing was that at the commencement of my first year, the same thing happened. This prevented us attending the school that year and we were based out at Loughor for the first year.
Good luck to everyone there, school, staff and pupils. Fond memories and happy times.
October 26th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
he is innocent n hes been found guilty 4 sumin that he didnt do!!!
March 28th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
he is guilty he has ruined our school and all the gcse work and all years 7,8,9’s work as well all the time we spend making stuff and do our work it’s all gone
April 3rd, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Many people haven’t heard about the destroying blaze, however being one of near enough 1000 pupils I have had to face it straight on. The entire school is taught in demountables and a huge grey put together box which we call the ’shoe box’. The buildings (demountables/portacabins) are perishing in the winter and scorching in the summer, with radiators the size of a small scanners, the rooms don’t heat up as well. Heat is lost through the windows,however if we didn’t have as many windows we would burn to a crisp in the summer. Being in Year 8 I don’t think we will ever get to experience the school in it’s true form,but I’m almost certain that the school will be amazing when it is finished.
April 4th, 2007 at 11:54 am
At least the new building when it is eventually built will be fitted with a sprinkler system. Apparently, this cannot be funded from the insurance claim as there was no sprinkler system in place before the fire last year. (One has to ask the question “Why????”, since this is the second time this school has been destroyed by fire!) However, Swansea City Council has agreed to set aside the £300,000 needed for the installation…. Yet another burden on the local council taxpayers.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I was a member of Penyrheol until 1998, Gutted was not even the word when I drove past to see it had gone.
What people forget, is all of the pupils past and present have memories and achivements, and because of the actions of two very sad and probably worthless individuals all the hardwork that has been maintained over the years from sports teams, debate teams, art departments history and geography and languages as well as everything else that was held in the affectionately named ‘Tower Block’, including the Historic HeadBoy/Girl board has diminished.
I for one am very sad to have to witness that a great school now once again has to over come another horror story in its history, but then if all the pupils pitch in, the corridors will soon be ringing again but this time with the sounds of eagar voices and not alarm bells.
July 6th, 2007 at 6:24 am
News today that the new school will be completed in time for opening in September 2009. The details can be found here: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=17737
August 14th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Jonathan has been found guilty of a crime he did not , I think its dam right appauling to give him 6 years and the person who enterd the building with him and had previous arson related issue’s while attending that school got away scot free!
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:40 am
More news of building proposals can be found here:
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=161818&command=displayCont
October 20th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Info from Swansea city & County Council today at http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=20345