AN arsonist is thought to have started a fire at Peers School in Littlemore, Oxford, which caused substantial smoke damage.

Police arrested a man near the school shortly after the fire started at about 10pm on Friday.

Insp Brendan O'Dowda, of Oxford police, said: "A local male was arrested near the scene and has subsequently been interviewed at the police station and released pending further inquiries. He'll be coming back to the station."

The fire is believed to have started in the main block in a ground floor office used by the Peers Early Education Partnership.

Smoke spread across half the school, in Sandy Lane West, Littlemore, but the blaze itself was confined to the office.

Acting headteacher Chris Dark said the office ceiling had suffered minor fire damage but the rest was mostly smoke damage.

He said an intruder had broken into the school, then started a small fire after tripping the burglar alarms.

Mr Dark added: "He must have started a little fire on the floor and then fled immediately. It looks like a bucket and sponge job, washing smoke off."

The damage was worse after a fire at the school in December 1996 when a special needs classroom was destroyed and an art room, a domestic science room and medical room were damaged. Mr Dark said it had never been establised whether that fire was started by an arsonist or was due to an electrical fault.

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