GARDAI are investigating a fire that destroyed eight classrooms at the Jesuit run Crescent College Comprehensive in Limerick early yesterday morning. Damage was estimated at £1 million and the school will not open until after the mid term break next week.
Investigating gardai have not ruled out malicious damage and yesterday a Garda forensic team was sifting through the rubble. One of the five wings of the 900 pupil college, including a music room was destroyed in the blaze. The fire broke out at about 5 a.m. and extensive damage was done to the remainder of the building located at Doooradoyle, on the city outskirts.
Three units from Limerick Fire Brigade spent two hours fighting the blaze.
The headmaster of The Crescent College Comprehensive, Father Liam O'Connell SJ, said that at one stage at about 5.30 a.m. it was blazing very strongly and the firemen fought it from within and from outside.
He pointed out that the only specialised classroom affected was the music room, where the music teacher, Mrs Helen Moloney, had been collecting music manuscripts and tapes and records, which had now been lost.
The school orchestra which had won an all Ireland award last year for being one of the best outside Dublin, was based there and instruments had also been lost.