Panicking young pupils were safely evacuated from a burning classroom at Chumisa Primary School in Site B last Wednesday.
It is not known what caused the fire but smoke was seen billowing from the roof of a class on the top floor.
Khayelitsha police spokesman Constable Arthur West said the incident happened while he and ward councillor Thando Mpengesi were having a meeting with the school.
“A teacher ran into the staff room to inform us that a classroom was burning,” said Constable West.
He and the police at the school rushed to the classroom where they “found fire raging from the rear corner.”
“There was toxic smoke and the heat inside the room made it impossible for anyone to safely enter. Fire extinguishers were too weak at that point to control the blaze,” he said.
They used a single fire hose to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to more classrooms.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they took over. One classroom was burnt, but no was injured and police are investigating, the cause of the fire.