Whakatane Intermediate School has the worst start to the school holidays with a fire tearing through one classroom and damaging another.

Firefighters from Whakatane, Ohope, and Edgecumbe responded to reports of the blaze about 6pm on Sunday, managing to contain it to the two classrooms.

Photo: File.

Fire Service shift manager Scott Osmond says the classroom was well involved when the Whakatane brigade arrived, and a second alarm was called bringing in the second Whakatane truck, and support from the other stations.

When fire fighters arrived the fire was established in one classroom and smoke was pouring from the ceiling space above a neighbouring classroom.

Flames from the burning classroom spanned a three-metre gap to set fire to the soffit on the neighbouring school library.

'The guys got there, it was well involved in fire, transmitted a second alarm. We had four appliances attending,” says Scott.

Police put a scene guard on school overnight.

'They will treat it as suspicious until such time as they determine otherwise, but being a school they will always send someone along just to make sure because, let's face it, how many school fires start on their own?”

Firefighters were on site for more than two hours.