A fire at Northern Southland College last month was caused by an electric heater, a fire safety investigator says.
Otago-Southland fire risk manager Cathy Trevathan said the July 28 fire at the school started from a heater in the year 13 pupils' common room - a standalone prefab building - but exactly what happened is still to be determined,'' she said.
''We have a few possible reasons which we're still investigating, but it was not suspicious at all.
''It is a timely reminder to remember the `heater metre' rule - keep all furniture, clothing, curtains, etc, a metre away from heaters.''
Fire crews from Lumsden, Balfour and Mossburn attended the incident, assisted by senior boys from the school who helped by running fire hoses from the appliance to the hydrant, with no pupils or staff put at risk from the fire.
Damage to the building was largely limited to smoke, with the fire appearing to gone out due to all the windows and doors to the building being shut at the time.
