A HUGE blaze has gutted a school building with locals urged to stay away and keep their windows closed.
Emergency services raced to the inferno at a former primary school in Merthyr Tydfil, southeast Wales, on Thursday afternoon.
A huge blaze has gutted a school building in southeast Wales Credit: Media Wales
Locals were urged to stay away from the area and keep their windows and doors shut Credit: Athena
Smoke could be seen billowing from the site from miles around Credit: Athena
Emergency services raced to the scene on Thursday afternoon Credit: Athena
Huge plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from Ysgol y Graig Primary School which was left completely devastated by the fire.
Dramatic photos show the school buildings reduced to burnt-out shells, reduced to rubble with their roofs caved in.
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Eyewitnesses told WalesOnline that the fire was “massive” and “visible for miles around” while others took to social media, describing the blaze as “crazy” and a “hell of a mess”.
Local residents were also left without electricity according to a local councillor with some forced to evacuate their homes.
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The buildings at the site were reduced to burnt-out shells following the blaze Credit: Athena
Local residents were also left without power with some forced to evacuate their homes Credit: Media Wales
The fire service descended on the school earlier on Thursday afternoon, drafting in crews from 10 different areas.
They urged locals to avoid the area and to keep their windows and doors closed due to the smoke as they battled the blaze.
One photo shows firefighters on an aerial platform, towering above the trees as they doused the flames from above.
Surrounding roads, including Cefn High Street, were also completely shut off as emergency services flooded the scene.
Local councillor, Lisa Mytton, first posted about the “serious fire” earlier this afternoon urging her constituents to “avoid the area”.
She confirmed this evening that the High Street had re-opened while evacuated residents were permitted to return to their properties.
“I want to give my thanks to those neighbours who brought all the teams drinks, water etc and the many offers of support we had,” she posted.
“I want to thank the residents for their understanding as we had to remove them from their homes.”
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service posted a statement to social media earlier on Thursday, saying: “We are currently in attendance at a fire in the old Ysgol-y-Graig school building, in Cefn-Coed Merthyr.
“Residents are advised to close windows and doors due to smoke in the area.
The site was left almost completely destroyed Credit: Athena
The fire service drafted in crews from ten areas to tackle the flames Credit: Athena
“Please avoid the area to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.”
They later said: “Crews, appliances and specialist equipment including an aerial hydraulic platform and water bowsers from Rhymney, Aberdare, Abercynon, Brynmawr, Ferndale, Treorchy, Gilfach Goch and Aberbargoed, Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff Central are in attendance along with support from Mid and West Fire and Rescue Service.
“The incident remains ongoing and our crews are working to bring it to a safe close.”
The Ysgol y Graig Primary School first opened in 1908 before moving to a “state of the art new building” in 2021, according to the school’s website.
It was reportedly sold in an auction earlier this year for a guide price of £160,000.
It eventually sold for nearly £400,000, with the 3.5 acre site described as offering “redevelopment potential”.
