A 16-year-old boy has been charged with arson following a fire at a prestigious 160-year-old Catholic school in west London.
Firefighters were called to the blaze at the London Oratory School – which admits boys aged seven to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18 – on Seagrave Road in Fulham at 10am on Wednesday.
The teenager will appear in custody at Highbury Youth Court on Friday.
The fire was brought under control and no injuries have been reported, but part of an atrium in the four-storey building was damaged by fire, the London Fire Brigade said.
The school’s alumni include actor Simon Callow, trade unionist Mick Whelan, as well as the children of the former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, Harriet Harman and former deputy prime minister, Sir Nick Clegg.
The alleged arsonist was arrested on Wednesday.
Fire engines and police officers on Seagrave Road in Fulham, west London, as firefighters tackle a blaze at London Oratory School (Photo: James Manning/PA Wire)
A nearby shopping centre and some residential addresses were evacuated as a precaution, and residents were urged to keep their windows closed.
Fire crews from Fulham, Chelsea, Kensington, Wandsworth, Hammersmith, Clapham, Lambeth and Soho fire stations were in attendance.
London Ambulance Service said they did not treat any patients at the scene.
The London Oratory School was named in The Sunday Times as one of the top 10 comprehensives in the UK in 2022 and 2023.
https://inews.co.uk/news/boy-charged-arson-fire-catholic-school-london-oratory-2828922
