On Wednesday afternoon Flavius Mareka High School in Atteridgeville caught fire after pupils were allegedly smoking while playing with hand sanitisers in a passageway between classrooms used to store old tables. The Gauteng education department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the school catching fire.
Department spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed the incident and said an investigation had been launched. “The fire department attended to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire. Only three classes were damaged. An investigation to determine circumstances surrounding this incident has been launched. The cost estimation for the damage will be determined in due course,” said Mabona.
Mabona said all affected classrooms will be cordoned off and the school will continue with teaching as normal. One of the learners at the school said pupils were shocked when they saw smoke coming into their class through the window. “We had just came back from our lunch break and we were sitting inside class waiting for a teacher to come in. The next thing we just saw smoke coming in through the window and we thought that maybe they were burning paper.
It’s alleged there were no injuries, but two teachers collapsed during the incident. A teacher, who did not want to be named, said that a group of boys were “playing with sanitiser”. “They placed it where we stored old tables. It’s like they were smoking. Now we don’t have the full details, but it was learners. Everyone is safe,” the teacher said. #ladi_jaja?
