“I speak directly to anyone who may have been involved. If you were involved in the fire - and maybe it was some mucking around, and things got so much worse - my advice would be to come forward.”
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That is the message from Murray River police District Chief Inspector Michael Fuller as investigations into the fire at Deniliquin High School continue.
Officially being “treated as suspicious”, the fire gutted three sections of the school’s large, interconnected building.
The rooms destroyed include the school’s library, and rooms traditionally used for maths, science, and technology and applied studies subjects.
It includes some of the wood and metal work rooms.
Emergency services received the fire alert about 12.45am Saturday, and arrived to find the fire well alight already.
Chief Insp Fuller said while the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, he said investigations will look at whether it was deliberate or ‘misadventure’.
“Detectives are continuing to investigate the fire, which includes seeking assistance from the NSW Police Arson Unit for their expertise,” he said.
“The investigation includes an extensive canvass around the school to seek any witnesses, CCTV and other information that will assist investigations.
“The fire is being treated as suspicious so we are asking for any witnesses who may have heard or seen anything suspicious prior to the time the fire started, to come forward.
“We ask for anyone who has CCTV that may have captured anything, which could include people or vehicles being in the area prior to the fire.
“Police also seek any mobile phone video/other videos while the fire was occurring, which may assist in identifying people around the fire scene.
“The destruction of property by fire is a serious crime.
“If you were involved, you can reach out to a family member or friend and come down to the police station.
“If you are a kid or adult and worried about coming to the police station and what will happen, I can say you will be treated fairly.
“But if you don’t (come forward), we will never stop looking for you.”
Fire + Rescue NSW Zone Commander Stewart Alexander, who arrived in Deniliquin early Saturday morning, said agencies from all over the district provided assistance to Deniliquin’s Fire + Rescue NSW brigade.
This included a specialist aerial unit from Albury, and a dog team for post fire investigations.
Firefighters responded from Fire + Rescue NSW stations at Finley, Moama, Tocumwal, Jerilderie and Zone Command, with assistance from NSW Rural Fire Service Mid Murray Zone firefighters and Edward River Council with water tankers and carts.
Fire + Rescue squads from Corowa and Mulwala were on-call in areas where firefighters had been deployed from, in case of other fires.
The intense fire presented very challenging conditions, with a heavy fire load and strong winds present, with firefighters working tirelessly to access and fight the fire.
An excellent effort was made to try to prevent it from spreading into adjoining buildings and beyond and to minimise damage to fire impacted areas.
Despite the hard work of firefighters, the fire caused significant damage to classrooms, wood and metal work learning areas, the school library and other important school facilities.
The heat damage to steel support beams and columns caused roof collapses and made access very difficult, requiring the need for a specialist ladder truck from Albury.
Deniliquin FRNSW Deputy Captain Les Booth said one Deniliquin-based FRNSW firefighter was injured during firefighting efforts, but was recovering well.
He said the firefighter tripped over a fire hose, and had to be taken to the hospital for an injury to his shoulder.
Dep Capt Booth said with a number of brigade members having been students of Deni High School , including himself, it was a confronting sight.
“I joined the brigade in 1998, and I think this is the biggest fire in Deni I have attended,” he said.
“There was a lot of fuel load, and a very intense heat.
“When we arrived the fire was in two sections, but as the wind picked up about two hours in it just made it take off.
“I called in additional firefighting resources within 10 minutes of receiving the call, and I escalated that call-out for help when that wind picked up.
“It was going pretty hard, and at one stage the fire was just swirling all over the place.
“We want to thank all those other brigades who provided assistance, and to the members of the community who assisted us.
“This included teachers - including principal Glen Warren and deputy principal Peter Astill, who helped run bottles of water and firefighting equipment between the two teams of firefighters on Wellington St and Henry St.
“The teachers also got out their marquee to provide shelter for emergency services during the rain.
“I also want to thank police, ambulance paramedics, Essential Energy, the RFS and Edward River Council and any other agencies who provided help.”
Firefighting efforts have been credited with stopping the fire from damaging larger sections of the school building, including the section facing Wellington St commonly used for English and HSIE subjects.
Dep Capt Booth said firefighters worked solidly until about noon Saturday, after which they were relieved by additional crews from Albury and Jerilderie, who worked on hot spots until about 4pm.
Investigators were then on site until about 9pm Saturday.
Anyone who can help police with their investigations - including if you have video or CCTV footage - is asked to contact Deniliquin Police on 5881 9299 or CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.