On Wednesday, a fire broke out at Lancae Vale Secondary School in Eldorado Park, causing major damage to three classrooms, including a science lab. Image: provided by Lionell Martins
(The Post News)- A fire broke out on Tuesday at Lancea Vale Secondary School in Eldorado Park, causing extensive damage to three classrooms.
The fire occurred at a time when gang violence in the Eldorado Park community had spread to local schools, with one pupil being stabbed a week ago.
However, the fire may not be linked to gang violence, despite the ongoing issues in the Eldorado Park community.
According to Lionel Martins, a witness to the fire who lives directly behind the school, gang violence has indeed become a significant problem, with a gang-related fight occurring at Lancea Vale Secondary School just a week ago.
According to Martins, the fire began during the final period of the afternoon, and it is claimed that pupils “sprayed sanitiser over a bunch of papers” and set them on fire.
Martins stated that the fire only destroyed three classrooms, including a science laboratory, and that there were no fatalities or injuries since all pupils were swiftly removed from the danger zone by adjacent teachers.
He expressed concern about the fire hoses’ poor water pressure and the time it took firemen to reach the school, stating that if these challenges had not existed, the fire may have been extinguished before spreading to the other classes.
According to Martins, when the firefighters arrived, they arrived with a fire truck that did not have water to put out the fire and had to wait an additional 15 minutes for a truck with a water can and another fire truck to come; by that time, the fire had spread to two other classes.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has expressed concerns about potential gang-related activities at the school and confirmed that the police have begun investigating the cause of the fire.
Matome Chiloane, the Gauteng MEC for Education, Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, described the situation as distressing, particularly in light of a stabbing incident at the same school last Wednesday.
He emphasised that the GDE will not tolerate violence or gangsterism in and around schools.
Chiloane assured that the department is closely monitoring the situation and is confident that teaching and learning will continue as usual.
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