FIFTY people had to be evacuated from their homes as a fire raged at a school in New Cross.

Staff and contractors at Haberdashers Aske’s Hatcham Temple Grove School were also evacuated as flames tore through the building.

The roof and second floor were badly damaged by the blaze which started at the school in Monson Road at around 3.10pm yesterday (April 6).

Around half of the first floor was damaged and the ground floor of the three-storey building was also damaged.

The school was being refurbished during the Easter holidays and a gas cylinder, which is thought to have contained propane gas, was involved in the fire.

It was cooled and made safe by firefighters but nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.

Firefighters from Lewisham, Greenwich, Peckham, Forest Hill, Brixton, Southwark, Old Kent Road and Deptford fire stations got the fire under control by 9pm last night and put it completely out overnight.

The cause of the blaze is now under investigation.

In a statement on the Haberdashers Aske’s website the federation’s chief executive officer Dr Elizabeth Sidwell said: “There has been a serious fire at Hatcham Temple Grove.

“The school was closed to students at the time for the Easter holidays.

“Staff and contractors working in the school were safely evacuated and the building is now in the hands of the emergency team.

“The school will be closed until futher notice.

“Plans are currently under way to ensure provision is provided from across the Federation sites for all children returning on Wednesday April 21.”

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