PSNI Treat Fire at Former Coleraine High School as Arson After Blaze Takes Five Hours to Control
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is treating Sunday evening's fire at the derelict former Coleraine High School building on Lodge Road as a deliberate act of arson, after five fire appliances from stations across the North Coast took nearly five hours to bring the blaze under control in an incident that caused significant damage to the vacant structure.
Background
The former Coleraine High School building on Lodge Road has stood vacant for several years following the school's closure and subsequent merger with another local institution. The building, a substantial mid-twentieth century structure, has been the subject of ongoing discussions about its future use, with various proposals for redevelopment having been considered and set aside over the years. Like many derelict school buildings across Northern Ireland, it has become a target for vandalism and antisocial behaviour, and local residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the risks posed by the vacant structure.
Derelict buildings in Northern Ireland present a persistent challenge for local authorities and the PSNI. The province has a significant stock of vacant and abandoned properties, many of them former public buildings that have been closed as part of rationalisation programmes in education, health, and other public services. These buildings are frequently targeted by arsonists, and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has consistently highlighted the danger they pose to firefighters and to surrounding properties.
The Lodge Road area of Coleraine is a mixed residential and commercial district, and the former school building sits in close proximity to occupied homes and businesses. The risk of fire spreading from a derelict structure to neighbouring properties is a concern that local residents have raised with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council on multiple occasions.
Key Developments
The alarm was raised at approximately 17:08 BST on Sunday, 27 September, with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service deploying appliances from Coleraine, Portstewart, Maghera, and Portrush, as well as an aerial appliance from the Northland Fire Station in Derry/Londonderry. Firefighters used breathing apparatus and multiple jets to combat the blaze, which had taken hold across a significant portion of the building by the time the first crews arrived on scene.
The incident was brought under control at approximately 22:02 BST, nearly five hours after the initial call. The road was closed temporarily to facilitate the emergency response, but no injuries were reported among firefighters, residents, or bystanders. The PSNI confirmed that the fire is being treated as a deliberate ignition and has launched a formal investigation into the circumstances.
Police are appealing for witnesses who were in the Lodge Road area on Sunday evening, as well as anyone with CCTV footage or dashcam recordings that might assist the investigation. The PSNI has not yet indicated whether any suspects have been identified in connection with the incident.
Why It Matters
Arson attacks on derelict buildings are a recurring problem across Northern Ireland, and the Coleraine incident is the latest in a series of fires at vacant properties that have stretched the resources of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. The service has repeatedly called for faster action by local authorities and property owners to secure derelict buildings and reduce the risk of deliberate ignition. The five-hour response to the Coleraine fire required resources from stations as far away as Maghera and Derry, placing pressure on the service's capacity to respond to other emergencies across the North Coast and North West during that period.
The incident also raises questions about the future of the Lodge Road site. The longer a derelict building remains vacant, the greater the risk of further attacks and the more difficult it becomes to bring the property back into productive use. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council will face renewed pressure to clarify its plans for the site in the wake of Sunday's fire.
Local Impact
For residents of the Lodge Road area, Sunday's fire was a frightening reminder of the risks posed by the derelict building. Several households in the immediate vicinity were affected by smoke during the incident, and the road closure caused disruption to traffic in the area for several hours. Local councillors have called for an urgent meeting with the council's planning and property services departments to discuss the future of the site and the measures being taken to prevent further incidents. The NIFRS has indicated that it will carry out a post-incident review to assess whether any additional fire safety measures are required at the site pending a decision on its future use.
What's Next
The PSNI investigation into the arson is ongoing, and detectives are expected to examine CCTV footage from the surrounding area in the coming days. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service will conduct its own investigation into the cause and spread of the fire, with a report expected within several weeks. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has been contacted for comment on the future of the Lodge Road site, and a response is expected before the end of the week. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the PSNI on 101, quoting reference number 1234/270926.
