Boy charged after fire causes $100k in damage to Perth primary school

Emergency services were called to the blaze at Subiaco Primary School about 9.30pm on Sunday.

Police have today charged a boy from Osborne Park with one count of criminal damage by fire as well as three counts of stealing for an unrelated crime.

He is due to appear before the Perth Children’s Court today.

It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the blaze.

The arson and forensic squad visited the school yesterday morning to collect evidence at the scene, while students returned for a day of classes.

Police said yesterday the fire started in a rubbish bin and quickly spread into the roof space of a nearby classroom and toilet.

The sound of the inferno was enough to disrupt neighbours living across the road from the 100-year-old school.

“We went out and we saw a massive amount of smoke,” resident Bernard Lock told 9News Perth.

“As we went out, we looked and saw someone had already phoned the fire brigade.”

One parent, Jennifer Kerridge, told 9News Perth the fire affected an old building in the school.

“I was worried that there’d be a lot of damage done to such an old heritage building,” Kerridge said.

WA Police said rewards of up to $25,000 are available for information that leads to the identification and conviction of an arsonist.