School fire and armed police call out collides in near tragedy
EXCLUSIVE: Students and staff from Taranaki's Devon Intermediate school 'rushed' from their classrooms when a fire broke out yesterday right into the middle of an armed police call out.
Police were responding to reports of a gunman wandering the streets near New Plymouth's Devon Intermediate.
But when they tried to contact Devon, a fire had already broken out in the school's library and the sound of the sirens drowned out the caller so the school was largely unaware of the situation.
The gunman was found at his home at a later time but Principal Fiona Parkinson said they couldn't hear the police instructions to lock down the school.
About 300 students were evacuated to the school's lower sports field but shifted to the netball courts when staff spotted the armed police and worried for the students saftey.
They were soon on the move again, to nearby St Joseph's school, when smoke billowed on to the courts.
Six students suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to Taranaki Base Hospital.
The drama began about 1.55pm when police were told a man was walking along St Aubyn St past Devon Intermediate with a rifle.
Streets were cordoned as police tried to find the gunman. He was eventually found at his home on St Aubyn St about 300 metres from the New Plymouth police station. The firearm turned out to be a .177 calibre air rifle which Sergeant Pat Duffy said the man had gone out to sell.
Meanwhile, four fire trucks and 16 firefighters arrived to battle the school library blaze. New Plymouth fire deputy area manager John Nicholls said it was unclear where or how the fire had started but it spread through a large part of the building.
Although infonews.co.nz sent a reporter to New Plymouth to talk to a few of the students and one told infonews.co.nz exclusivly that the fire 'could' have been caused because a computer 'blew up' causing sparks to come from the computer.
It took until 6pm to completely douse the fire.
"A library does have the potential to have a high fire load. They won't be using it tomorrow," he said.
Mrs Parkinson said the students had all behaved impeccably during the evacuation.
"I think everyone was very calm and the teachers were fantastic," she said.
Mailina Latavao, 11, a year 7 student, said the school librarian had been most upset by the fire, but she wasn't.
"It's good we won't have to read any more books," she said. When school ended at 3pm, Mrs Parkinson released the students from their evacuation point at St Joseph's and farewelled them as they walked home.
"Well done," she said. "School as usual tomorrow."
GUNMAN FOUND
"We caught him at his house," Mr Coleman said.
"He was actually walking home after trying to sell the gun."
Police cordons around the area has also been lifted.
"There was no threat to any nearby schools"
Although the New Plymouth Police did put Devon Intermediate in lock down.
But questions are asked...
'COULD THIS HAVE BEEN WORSE?'
Questions surrounding the fire and armed police call out remains unawnsered, one of those questions were "Could this have been worse?"
Since 1999 in the United States there has been over fifteen school shootings.
NEW ZEALAND WORST SCHOOL SHOOTING
The most terrible New Zealand shooting tragedy for many years occurred at Waikino (near Waihi) at 10 o’clock when John Christopher HIGGINS, a middle aged man, ran amok with an automatic pistol, and attacked the school, shooting two children dead, wounding the schoolmaster and five others.
NEW ZEALAND WORST FIRE
On 18 November 1941 41 people were killed in New Zealand’s deadliest fire, in the Ballantyne’s Department Store in Christchurch.