MORE than 40 firefighters tackled a blaze which tore through part of a Suffolk school today. Crews were called to Kirkley Middle School in Lowestoft shortly after 4am today to deal with the blaze.

MORE than 40 firefighters tackled a blaze which tore through part of a Suffolk school today.

Nine crews were called to Kirkley Middle School in Lowestoft shortly after 4am today to deal with the blaze inside a block which had been under refurbishment.

The fire inside the 30m by 30m single storey brick-built structure was well developed by the time the fire service arrived.

It took the crews more than two-and-a-half hours to douse the flames.

Firefighters do not believe the cause of the blaze was suspicious. However, an investigation is now under way to discover why the fire broke out.

The school's headteacher, Andrea Colley, revealed that the clean-up operation was due to take place today and she expected classes to resume tomorrow.

She said: “The building is being refurbished and has been split in two halves. The half affected was completely empty so absolutely nothing has been lost.

“It is difficult to say how serious the fire is yet and I can't comment on how much damage has been caused.

“I was called early this morning by the caretaker who told me there had been a fire.

“We will be closed today while the fire service complete their work and we will be open again tomorrow.”

The fire is the second major blaze to hit a Suffolk school in less than a year. In August 2006, parts of Copleston High School in Ipswich went up in smoke, causing more than £1,000,000 of damage.

The school is in the process of replacing the affected areas, with a planning application for a new building recently submitted.