Police probe as pupils flee 'suspicious' fire at Islamic boarding school in south-east London

Police have launched an investigation after a fire was started at an Islamic boarding school in south-east London.

Emergency crews were called to the Darul Uloom Islamic School in Chislehurst last night as 128 pupils and staff evacuated the building.

Police said investigations were at an early stage but the fire was being treated as suspicious.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "Around 128 people, thought to have been made up of pupils and staff, evacuated the building before firefighters arrived on the scene."

Two men were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and there were no other injuries.

Detective Chief Superintendent Steph Roberts, Bromley borough commander, said today: "The fire is being treated as suspicious. Police enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances.

"We would ask members of the public to remain calm and not to speculate as to the cause of the fire. A full police investigation is ongoing.

"Anyone with information that may assist the investigation should call police on 101 or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

"There is an increased police presence around potentially vulnerable locations in the borough of Bromley and across London, including additional patrols to provide reassurance and deter crime."

No arrests have been made.

Today, the school said they did not want to comment yet and were "dealing with the parents".

The £3,000-a-year boarding school was established in 1988 with the purpose of producing "great scholars and Huffaz (people who have memorised the Koran) to preserve and transmit the eternal message of Allah".

Its website says: "The institution helps children to explore and develop their Islamic identity as a natural part of their mental, emotional and personal development.

"The school aims to prepare Muslim students to be good Muslims and responsible citizens; to embed in the student a sense of discipline; to enable them to grow up to become upright, respectable and worthy citizens of their respective countries."

The school was built in 1974 and comprises 130 boarding rooms in addition to classrooms, dining hall, assembly hall, prayer hall, gym, playing fields and car parking with 100 spaces, over a 10-acre site.