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| Fire at city school is suspicious | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A "serious" blaze at a West Midlands secondary school which caused a building to collapse is being treated as suspected arson. | |
| The two-storey Sidney Stringer School in Cox Street, Coventry, was evacuated when a gym fell down in the blaze which severely damaged the school. | |
| At its height, more than 100 firefighters tackled the fire which started at 1530 BST. | |
| A spokesman said police and fire officers were looking into the matter. | |
| The initial findings at the scene had caused the blaze to be treated as suspicious, the fire spokesman added. | |
| Pupils were being led out of the affected building when crews arrived. | |
| There have been no reported injuries and there were no reports of anyone being trapped inside the building. | |
| 'Shooting flames' | 'Shooting flames' |
| The school is located in the Hillfields area of the city, quite close to the city centre. | The school is located in the Hillfields area of the city, quite close to the city centre. |
| BBC Coventry and Warwickshire reporter Tom Cooke said: "You could see the flames shooting up into the sky. | BBC Coventry and Warwickshire reporter Tom Cooke said: "You could see the flames shooting up into the sky. |
| "The entire area of Hillfields and this end of town is virtually shrouded in thick, grey smoke. | "The entire area of Hillfields and this end of town is virtually shrouded in thick, grey smoke. |
| class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7013157.stm">Images of the school blaze "The affected building is the sports hall area towards the rear, next to the big astro-turf pitch which is used by the school children and by football clubs during the week." | |
| Head teacher Brian Worrall said the school, which did not have a sprinkler system, would definitely not be open to staff and pupils on Wednesday. | |
| Phil Loach, of West Midlands Fire and Rescue, said crews had managed to contain the fire to 40% of the building. | |
| Asbestos has also been found and nearby residents are advised to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. | Asbestos has also been found and nearby residents are advised to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. |
| The blaze took three and a half hours to be brought under control and crews are expected to remain at the site throughout the night. | The blaze took three and a half hours to be brought under control and crews are expected to remain at the site throughout the night. |
| The school, which specialises in maths and computing, takes pupils from 11 to 18 and has 1,150 on its books. | The school, which specialises in maths and computing, takes pupils from 11 to 18 and has 1,150 on its books. |
Are you in the area? Did you see the fire? You can send us your comments using the form below: | Are you in the area? Did you see the fire? You can send us your comments using the form below: |
| Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to 61124 or you have a large file you can click here to upload. Click here to see terms and conditions | Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to 61124 or you have a large file you can click here to upload. Click here to see terms and conditions |
| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |