Fire Service confirms Our Lady of the Way fire was incendiary

Last Monday night, police responded to a report of a fire at Our Lady of the Way Roman Catholic School in Ladyville, where the lower flat of a two-storey building was engulfed in flames. Quick action by the Fire Service contained and extinguished the fire. The fire destroyed the principal’s office and thousands of dollars in machines and records went up in the blaze. It was widely believed to have been deliberately set and the Fire Service concurred as much today. Station Officer Orin Smith tells us more.

Orin Smith, Station Officer, National Fire Service

Orin Smith

“There is evidence of photographs that I have seen where burglar bars were being cut – some, completely cut; others were not completely cut; there’s a section – there’s a photograph I saw where aluminium louvers were torn open in trying to get into the office. However, the office was double-barricaded with burglar bars on the exterior as well as the interior and that gave them, whoever it was, trying to get in there, a bit of difficulty and I suppose some frustration, and hence the fire.”

Reporter

“Has that information been passed on to Ladyville Police so that they could continue their investigation?”

Orin Smith

“They know They were there.”

As Smith said, the Police are now investigating the case as a possible arson.