POLICE remain at the scene of an overnight fire at the former Corpus Christi School in Beechmount.
Eight fire appliances and over 50 fire fighters attended the blaze on Thursday night. Local residents were advised to keep their windows and doors shut while the fire was brought under control.
It is the latest act of vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the former school building in recent years.
The school closed in 2019 following amalgamation with St Rose's High School and Christian Brothers School to form All Saints College.
SDLP councillor Paul Doherty said a long-term solution must be found, saying that local residents have had enough.
"Residents have been dealing with ongoing problems here for far too long, including persistent anti-social behaviour.
"It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. There were also serious concerns about smoke and potential asbestos particles in the air as a result of this fire which added an additional risk to the safety of people in the surrounding community. That is not acceptable and deeply concerning.
"I have been working to push for a long-term solution for this site, and there have been discussions around the Department of Education moving to repurpose it for a new school.
"To date, that has not progressed at their end, but there now needs to be real urgency before the site is completely destroyed or, worse, before there is a loss of life. I also put forward a possible soloution of a temporary tenancy for a local organisation but that was declined. I believe having people on-site on an ongoing basis would have went some way towards tackling the problem.
"Local people have watched as children as young as nine or ten have put themselves in danger, climbing fences and accessing rooftops. Residents have been living with this for years – they feel ignored, and last night they made it clear to me: enough is enough.
"We cannot allow this cycle to continue. The site must now be progressed to a permanent, agreed use as previously outlined. The community deserves far better than being left with a derelict, unsafe space on their doorstep."
Seán Doherty from Beechmount Residents' Collective said the building should be put to meaningful use for the local community.
"Once again, the old Corpus Christi school has become a serious issue for our community," he said. "This time, it was set on fire – six separate classrooms deliberately ignited, requiring six fire engines to bring the situation under control.
"This building has been an ongoing problem. While it is occasionally used for filming TV shows, the majority of the time it sits dormant and unsecured. Now it has become a real danger to local residents, who were even advised not to open their windows due to toxic fumes from the blaze in this old structure.
"What also does not help this situation is the growing trend of people creating TikTok videos in abandoned buildings by showcasing these locations online. They are drawing attention to unsecured sites like this and encouraging young people to enter dangerous, unsafe spaces.
"Incidents like this place unnecessary strain on our emergency services resources that could be urgently needed elsewhere.
"The BRC have been highlighting this years now and on the ground with no real engagement. We are calling on the owners to take responsibility, properly secure the building or put it to meaningful use for the community.
"Our community deserves better."
