The incident began about 1.40am on Saturday requiring emergency services from Wagga, Turvey Park, Junee and Albury.

Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Stewart Alexander said “all those classrooms and office areas [in the building] have been destroyed by fire”.

“It suffered significant damage, but fortunately there’s been no injuries and the fire did not spread to other buildings, which are very close by,” Superintendent Alexander said.

About 60 firefighters were needed at the height of the fire.

“Unfortunately, despite their very best effort, they weren’t able to save that building,” Superintendent Alexander said.

“Obviously, the impact on the school is quite heavy.”

Temperatures were in the mid 30s overnight, making the containment more difficult.

Superintendent Alexander praised emergency services for their effort.

“It was a very difficult fire fight, given the high temperatures at this time – it was about 35 degrees at 2am,” he said.

“It was hard, it was humid, but they’ve done an outstanding job to contain this fire.”

Emergency services remain on scene.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

A fire investigator from Sydney is en route and is expected to arrive about midday.

Police forensics are also assisting the investigation.

Wagga Public School’s management and the NSW Education Department have been notified.

“We’ve also got a structural engineer here at the moment, inspecting the building to ensure all the risks and potential collapse are assessed,” Superintendent Alexander said.

“We’ll be here for some time, at least until mid-afternoon to make sure that the building is safe.”

Traffic diversions are also in place, including the closure of Simmons and Johnston streets. 

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