A number of Deniliquin residents were woken up in the early hours of Saturday morning by a reddish glow and the sounds of emergency services.
Deniliquin High School was on fire, with the top floor of the Office/Science/Math/Wood/Metal/Library section of the school burning from the Henry Street side of the school and around to side facing Junction Street and around again to the library side facing Harfluer Street.
The Henry Street side is approximately 57m long and the Junction Street side is approximately 40m long and the other side is approximately 37m long.
The wind gusts at night were recorded as high as 56km/h, they were blowing mostly in the North-West and the North-North-West direction.
When the sun rose, firefighters were still tending to the ruins, water was being sprayed into the ruins of what housed the math rooms, firefighters also had to contend with the continuing high winds, gusts were now hitting 70km/h.
While the top floor copped the brunt of the flames, the ground floor would have been affected by the heat of the fire, the smoke and the water that was poured onto the fire.
By 10am messages were posted by Edward River Council and Deniliquin High School.
By 5pm, the school outlined a plan to keep students and parents informed through daily emails.
By the night of December 1, 2025, Police had arrested two teenagers.
On December 8, a FAQ was released to help students and teachers with arrangements for the rest of the school year.
People get emotional when schools burn down, parents and students get upset about the setback that children’s education face but gone are buildings where so many memories are made, interactions with friends, interactions with people that some eventually marry, learning things about life that are followed through the moment we are living in now, memories of people who are no longer living with us, so many memories that for many were packed into a few short years.
The damaged and destroyed areas will be rebuilt, new memories will be made, those in charge are likely planning the future right away, Afterall ‘Face the Task’ is the motto of the school.
Deni History 