Great Mongeham primary school evacuated after dishwasher burst into flames

SCHOOLCHILDREN had to be evacuated from lessons after a dishwasher burst into flames.

Staff and the 220 pupils at Hornbeam Primary School in Great Mongeham were sent home following the blaze, which has wrecked their home economics classroom.

Paul Newton from Hornbeam Primary School in Deal, recently the scene of a fire
Paul Newton from Hornbeam Primary School in Deal, recently the scene of a fire
Hornbeam Primary School head teacher Paul Newton with the burnt-out dishwasher Photo by Phil Medgett GIPM20120629E-002_C

A fault in the kitchen equipment is being blamed for the fire, which was discovered just moments after young members of the school's breakfast club had finished eating and headed off to lessons.

A member of staff noticed the room had filled with smoke at about 9.15am last Tuesday and raised the alarm.

Dyson DC50i - Bagless upright vacuum cleaner - BALL Technology -...

Freenet Electrical Ltd

View details

Thisi is Dyson's smallest upright vacuum cleaner with the performance of a full size upright machine. The DC50i has Dyson's most advanced cleaner head technology and 2 Tier RadialTM cyclones.

Terms: LIMITED STOCK OFFER. FREE delivery to most UK postcodes - Next working day dispatch.

Contact: 01664 491439

Valid until: Monday, May 27 2013

Head teacher Paul Newton said: "Our breakfast club had finished and a member of staff had put the dishwasher on before leaving with the children for the school day.

"Another member of staff later noticed the room was full of smoke, alerted the fire service and the school was evacuated.

"All our pupils and staff were accounted for and no one was hurt during the incident – the room itself was empty when the dishwasher caught alight."

Two fire engines were sent to the school, where crews used two main jets to put out the fire and a ventilation fan to clear the smoke from the premises. The blaze is not being treated as suspicious.

Mr Newton added: "What we can take from the fire is that all 220 pupils and staff were evacuated in three minutes, and our safety procedures clearly work.

"We took the option of sending the children home as the smoke and the smells were not very nice to be around.

"Parents were superb and didn't create a fuss, despite many of them having to leave work to pick up their children.

"The room is completely destroyed. We've had someone in to have a look at how bad the damage is but we still don't know how much it's all going to cost."