Eden Marine High School temporarily closes due to suspicious fire, police investigating
Fire and Rescue NSW responded to the fire at Eden High School this morning. (Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW)
In short:
Firefighters were called to Eden Marine High School this morning to reports of a fire.
Two people were treated for smoke inhalation and one room was extensively damaged.
What's next?
The school will remain closed for the rest of the week as police investigations continue.
Two cleaners helped extinguish a suspicious fire that closed a New South Wales far south coast school earlier today.
Emergency services were called to Eden Marine High School at around 5am after the cleaners discovered the fire in the staff room.
"The blaze was extinguished by staff at the school, prior to the arrival of police," a spokesperson for NSW Police said in a statement.
"Initial inquiries suggest the fire is suspicious."
A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance said they assessed the two cleaners at the scene for possible smoke inhalation, but they required no further treatment.
Eden High School has temporarily closed due to the fire. (Supplied: Fire and Rescue NSW)
Fire and Rescue NSW duty commander Rick Jones said while the cleaners had managed to put out most of the flames, firefighters finished the job using fire retardant foam.
He said multiple classrooms had been broken into and around half a dozen rooms had been impacted by smoke damage.
The police forensic unit will assess the crime scene.
School remains closed
Eden Fire and Rescue NSW station commander Zlatko Nemec said the fire was quickly extinguished, and there was extensive smoke damage throughout the building.
"An investigation squad is coming down from Goulburn to assess the incident because there is extensive damage to the staffroom," he said.
"The fire took roughly three to four minutes to fully extinguish, but we had trouble accessing water so we had to enter through the sports oval area and put a number of hoses together."
Eden Marine High School is based on Barclay Street, Eden. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)
A post on the Eden Marine High Facebook page this afternoon announced the school would be non-operational for the rest of the week, with 'learning from home' studies in place.
Students are expected to return to campus on Monday.
Other suspicious fires
Mr Nemec said police were also investigating a fire at the town's waste centre on Sunday, which resulted in a shed being destroyed and damage to a load and a gatehouse.
"They are currently investigating the ignition points of a shed and a backhoe in what looks like an attempt [by someone] to burn the complex down," he said.
Investigations are underway into a separate fire that broke out at the Eden Waste and Recycling Centre on the weekend. (Supplied: Bega Valley Shire Council)
Mr Nemec said around 1,000 litres of oil had been spilled in an attempt to use it as a fire accelerant.
A suspicious fire was also detected near Eden at Broadwater on October 16, where a small area of bushland was burnt before the blaze was put out by the NSW RFS.
"We have been busy lately," Mr Nemec said.
NSW Police said there was no indication the fire at Eden Marine High School was linked to the others.