Firefighters tackling large blaze at school

Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a school in Devon.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said it was alerted to the blaze at The Promise School, in Okehampton, at about 15:30 GMT.

A spokesperson for the fire service said reports came in of "flames" and "thick black smoke" in the area.

They said about 15 fire service vehicles were sent to the scene, plus special appliances, and no injuries had been reported.

Glennon Walters, who lives nearby, said his three-year-old son saw the smoke through the window of their home.

He said: "It was dark smoke, so that normally means something industrial. So we knew it was up in the industrial estate just from the smoke, but we didn't realise it was the new school until we took the pictures."

At 17:45, the fire service said the fire was creating a "significant smoke plume" in the area and the building was severely damaged.

Devon and Cornwall Police asked anyone who lived in the Stockley Hamlet area to ensure their windows and doors were closed, and asked people to avoid the area if possible.

Sgt Tom Ottley said there was "significant damage to the entire school".

"[It is] quite a significant sized blaze, fire have it under control, we don't believe there's any further risk to property or any casualties at the moment, so it's just about trying to control the damage and assess the damage thereafter," he added.

Ottley said police were in touch with the school and parents of its pupils would be contacted overnight to let them know about plans for the coming days.

He urged anyone who worked in the area to check for the latest information on Monday before travelling.

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