A FIRE drama at a local school was featured on the front page of the Malvern Gazette 25 years ago.

The hero of the hour, according to the report, was a 13-year-old schoolboy whose prompt action kept damage at the Wells House School, to a minimum.

Benny McKechnie "opened the door to the second-floor linen room... saw a pile of sheets ablaze and cloud of thick black smoke, and immediately raised the alarm".

"He told Mrs Dorothy Kuehn, an assistant matron, who set off the school's fire alarm system and within a minute, the whole of the school's 103 boys and 28 staff were out of the building.

"Meanwhile, Mr Michael Lowe, the headmaster, after calling the fire brigade, attempted to tackle the blaze himself with a hand fire extinguisher, but was beaten back by the dense choking smoke."

Fire engines were summoned from Malvern, Ledbury, Upton and Worcester to the Malvern Wells school.

"By the time they reached the school, the fire was beginning to spread from the linen room to adjacent dormitories and a plume of heavy smoke was drifting across them face of the hill above the school."

Because of the damage to dormitories, Mr Lowe made arrangements for some boarders to be quartered at the homes of day boys.

Damage was estimated at £15,000 - £20,000. Apart from structural damage to the floor and ceiling of the linen room, some 500 blankets, 200 sheets and a large number of school blazers and other items of clothing were destroyed.

The cause was believed to have been spontaneous combustion in the stored clothes.

Mr Lowe praised the fire brigade for their "magnificent response" and young Benny for his prompt actions.

He said: "Benny behaved admirably - he brought me fire extinguishers and helped me to close all doors and windows."