AN electrical fire at a Minehead school on Monday saw the children evacuated in pouring rain while three fire crews and an aerial ladder platform dealt with smoke pouring from a building.

Two fire crews from Minehead and one from Williton responded to the alarm, raised at about 1pm.

The fire was quickly brought under control but St Michael’s First School and Watery Lane Pre-School were left without power during the week and the children have had to be temporarily rehoused off the premises each day.

Every day, the 140 children from St Michael’s have been walked down by staff to Minehead First School to be taught in spare classrooms, the hall and dining room.

They were not expected to be able to be back in their own school until Monday.

And children from the 60 families who attend sessions at Watery Lane Pre-school have been using the nearby Baptist church hall.

The fire started after a power surge in a meter cupboard housed in a small brick building, the size of a shed, on the school site.

It left the school and pre-school without power despite Western Power working through that night and all through the week to replace the mains line, meter and the distribution wiring leading from it.

All the children and staff from St Michael’s, and the ten Monday afternoon session pre-school children plus staff, followed well-practised evacuation drills and gathered on the school field in pouring rain, away from the buildings.

They stayed out there for about 25 minutes before being allowed back into the school hall, where several fire fighters came in to explain what had happened, reassure the children and answer their questions.

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