School sports hall gutted by fire

Local resident John Round took this picture at the height of the blaze

A fire has destroyed part of a school in West Yorkshire just days before pupils were due to return after the Christmas holiday.

More than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at Castleford High School in Ferrybridge Road on Thursday night.

The sports hall was completely gutted and the administration block has been damaged by water.

A crew remained at the scene on Friday to damp down as an investigation began into the cause of the fire.

Power disrupted

Parents and pupils are waiting to find out if they will be able to start the new term on Monday as scheduled.

Head teacher Roy Vaughan said: "There is currently no power to any part of the school, so a decision on whether students can return to school on Monday will be taken once we know when power can be restored.

"I would like to praise the quick actions of the caretaking staff at the school and the fire service for their work.

"The caretaking staff here were instrumental in giving information about the geography of the site so the firefighters could make sure the fire did not spread, and if was not for them the damage could have been much worse."