Photos by Guido Schultz

A large part of the Tonga Side School was destroyed when eight classrooms were gutted by fire on Saturday November 26, including the oldest block of rooms at the school.

Lofia Heimuli, Chief Fire Officer of the Tonga Fire Services confirmed that the fire was reported to them at 1:45pm in the afternoon by a passerby who saw the flames from the road.

Lofia said that eight classrooms were gutted by fire. The cause of the fire had yet to be determined as they are still carrying out investigations in regards to what happened.

The school's famous rain-tree in the central courtyard was surrounded by burning rooms but has survived the inferno.

Tonga Side School is a Government joint primary and secondary school of Class 1 to Form 2 levels, with an English speaking curriculum and entrance examination. It was built in the 1940s and since then the old rooms have housed hundreds of students and for some families several generations have been educated there.