School ‘Unusable’ Due to Fire Damage After Doors Left Wedged Open Overnight

A school in Scotland was left with an unusable building when an arsonist struck, after staff left internal fire doors wedged open overnight.

Newtown Primary School suffered around £240,000 of damage after the fire on the night of 25 July 2026, caused by a teenager who has been arrested for arson. However, the council (Scottish Borders Council) is undertaking a full review of fire provision in its schools as it became clear that staff had left many internal fire doors wedged open, thus rendering their 30-minute fire rating irrelevant.

Fire doors have a minimum fire rating of 30 minutes for which they will hold back a fire, allowing the emergency services to arrive to fight the fire, and reduce its spread, ensuring far less damage than was caused at Newtown Primary. It is also not yet clear if the insurers will fully cover the damage given the building users’ failure to manage the building correctly.

Newtown Primary school began the new academic year with pupils and staff housed in temporary buildings while the damage is addressed. It is believed this will take until at least January 2027. This could easily have been prevented by the damage being drastically reduced had the fire doors been closed as they should have been. It is vital that staff in Handsam client schools do not wedge open doors which are designated as fire doors. Please ensure any such items being used to hold doors open are removed.

Emphasising the importance of keeping fire doors, closed, Councillor Julie Pirone told the BBC:

"I'm particularly keen, given it's fire-raising in my own ward in Peebles, that bins or shelters are maybe not as near the building as they should be. That makes it easier that the fire brigade can contain the fire better but also protects the buildings from maybe not as much damage."

Pirone added: “We will continue to keep the school community updated as work progresses.”

Council teams have spent the summer preparing a temporary school area, including classroom space for primary classes, secure access, areas for playtimes and lunchtimes, and a shared space for assembly, music and PE.

Kevin Wilson, Headteacher at Newtown Primary School, said: “I’m immensely proud of the staff at Newtown Primary and education colleagues across SBC for pulling together to make sure pupils could start the new term. I would also like to thank families and the local community for their patience and support. I know this has been an unsettling time, and we very much look forward to welcoming pupils to HQ.”