London Oratory School: Huge fire breaks out at London institution - teenage boy arrested on suspicion of arson

A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire broke out at The London Oratory School in Fulham. According to reports, around 70 firefighters attended the scene on Seagrave Road at around 10am on Wednesday December 27.

According to London Fire Brigade, part of an atrium in the four-storey building was damaged, however no injuries were reported. A spokesperson said: “The brigade was called at 10.11am and is still at the scene. Fire crews from Fulham, Chelsea, Kensington, Wandsworth, Hammersmith, Clapham, Lambeth and Soho fire stations were in attendance. The cause of the fire is under joint investigation by the Brigade and the Met Police.”

The Met Police confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson at 11.15am. A Met spokesperson said: “The cause of the fire is under investigation. At around 11.15am a 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and taken into custody. A nearby shopping centre and some residential addresses have been evacuated as a precaution. Road closures are in place. Please avoid the area at this time.”

A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: “We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a medic in a fast response car and members of our hazardous area response team (HART). Our first medics arrived at the scene in less than three minutes. We did not treat any patients at the scene.”

The Catholic school is famed for its illustrious alumni, with many prominent politicians choosing to send their children to the institution. The children of former Prime Minster Tony Blair, MP Harriet Harman and former deputy prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg all attended the school, while actor Simon Callow and trade unionist figure Mick Whelan also attended.