A destructive out-of-hours blaze has torn through Canaan Presbyterian Primary School in Duncan Village, San Fernando, leaving eight infant classrooms completely destroyed and forcing an immediate full closure of the campus that serves 439 students and 23 employees. The fire broke out in the early hours of yesterday, triggering a rapid emergency response that local fire officials have praised for limiting the spread of damage to only the northern wing of the 60-year-old single-story facility.
According to Assistant Chief Fire Officer Lalchan Arjoon, head of the local Southern Division, the Mon Repos Fire Station divisional headquarters received the first emergency alert of the structural fire at approximately 4:16 a.m. Response teams were mobilized instantly and reached the school site within five minutes of the call. Arjoon commended his crew’s fast action, noting that firefighters successfully contained the blaze to the northern section that houses the school’s infant program, and fully extinguished the fire within 60 minutes of arrival, stopping it from reaching other parts of the campus.
Preliminary investigations have narrowed the origin of the fire to the void space between the building’s galvanized iron roof and plywood ceiling, though official probes are still underway to confirm the exact starting point and root cause of the blaze. A security guard was on overnight patrol at the school when the fire started, and Arjoon confirmed that investigators have not uncovered any evidence to suggest the fire was deliberately set by an outside party. Around 120 younger students are enrolled in the damaged infant department.
Arjoon outlined two potential paths forward for the school once investigations conclude: cordoning off the destroyed northern wing to resume classes in the untouched areas of the campus, or securing alternative temporary accommodation for displaced students. He also used the incident to issue a public safety reminder for property owners, school administrators, and business operators to prioritize regular maintenance of electrical infrastructure, urging that all systems be inspected by certified electricians and that circuits never be overloaded.
In an official statement released yesterday, the Presbyterian Primary Schools’ Board of Education confirmed the campus closure and ongoing investigations into the fire’s cause and full damage extent. The board asked all members of the school community and members of the public to avoid entering the school compound to ensure emergency personnel and arson investigators can work without obstruction or safety risks. “The safety and well-being of students, teachers and support staff remain central to decisions regarding the resumption of classes,” the board’s statement read.
Parents and guardians were directed to contact their children’s classroom teachers directly for real-time updates on when school operations will resume. The Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago also released a statement thanking emergency response teams for their rapid work and acknowledging the patience and cooperation of the affected school community.
When local media outlet Express visited the site yesterday morning, dozens of anxious parents and faculty gathered outside the school gates, watching on as fire officials documented and assessed the damage. One relative of a Standard Two student at the school expressed frustration over the disruption, noting the new academic year had begun less than two months prior. “It is very unfortunate this happened, especially since school started less than two months ago and now the education of the children may be affected. The Ministry of Education needs to adhere to the fire preventive safety measures at the school,” they said.
Trinidad’s Ministry of Education released a formal statement affirming its commitment to protecting the welfare of all students and staff affected by the fire, adding that it is prioritizing the implementation of all necessary measures to return to normal, safe operations as quickly as possible. The ministry confirmed that access to the Canaan Presbyterian Primary campus will remain restricted until the Fire Service grants full clearance, with a full damage assessment report due to be released by October 21.
To minimize disruption to students’ learning, the Ministry announced it is collaborating with school administration and the Presbyterian Primary Schools’ Board of Education to organize the distribution of school assignments for students between Monday and Wednesday. Full details of the learning arrangement will be shared with parents and guardians via the school’s existing official communication channels.