A devastating blaze has torn a school apart but pulled a community together.

Three-quarters of Hawera Intermediate School buildings were destroyed when the fire took hold in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Even before the sun broke and while crews fought to control the blaze, community groups and individuals stepped in to offer support to staff and students.

ROBERT CHARLES/Fairfax NZ Three quarters of Hawera Intermediate School was destroyed by fire this morning. Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.

The school board of trustees chairman Mark Crawshaw said it was a shame it took such a tragedy to bring people together but he was grateful for the support shown even at the earliest stages.

"It was day two into term four and that's the way it started," he said.

"The support that we've had from all the schools right throughout Taranaki, and I mean all the schools...offering support for classrooms and resources, it's great."

1 of 10 ROBERT CHARLES/FAIRFAX NZ Firefighters have been battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate School since early Tuesday morning. 2 of 10 ROBERT CHARLES/FAIRFAX NZ Firefighters have been battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate School since early Tuesday morning. 3 of 10 Petra Finer/FAIRFAX NZ Firefighters have been battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate School since early Tuesday morning. 4 of 10 ROBERT CHARLES/FAIRFAX NZ Firefighters have been battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate School since early Tuesday morning. 5 of 10 Credit: Amber Makinson Firefighters are battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate School 6 of 10 Amber Makinson Firefighters are battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate 7 of 10 Petra Finer Firefighters are battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate. 8 of 10 Petra Finer Firefighters are battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate. 9 of 10 Petra Finer Firefighters are battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate. 10 of 10 Petra Finer Firefighters are battling a large fire at Hawera Intermediate.

Even Fonterra had offered their training facility rooms to accommodate students, he said. The emotional support had been just as important.

"I can't thank the fire brigade enough. They've salvaged a lot of our school. I know we've lost a lot but in all reality with the wind that we've had, it could've been so much worse.

"It's not just the local brigades either. New Plymouth came down, Whanganui came up... it's an amazing community effort."

Petra Finer/Stuff.co.nz Fire at Hawera Intermediate

Hawera Fire Brigade chief fire officer Mike Fairweather said 13 fire appliances and 48 firefighters from Taranaki and Whanganui took about two hours to bring the fire under control.

School principal Craig Simpson said many teachers and students were already at the school when he arrived. He met with the Ministry of Education on Tuesday to put a contingency plan in place for the rest of the year as 333 students needed to be accommodated.

"Our job is now to bounce back and look forward to the challenges of term four," he said.

At least three classrooms are burnt out.

"The council, Fonterra and local school principals have been wonderful support."

A Hawera-based Rapid Relief Team, part of an international volunteer organisation set up to support local communities in times of need arrived at around 10am, four hours after fire crews arrived and began battling the blaze.

The team began handing out hot food and drinks, fruit and whatever else the crew needed to stay nourished.

Team leader Carl Prestidge✓ said the group would stay on site, at their own cost, for as long as they were needed.

"It's a stressful job, so we jumped in there and we do what we can."

South Taranaki District Council chief executive Craig Stevenson said he wasn't surprised by the outpouring of support from the community.

"It's tragic for any community to loose a school or part of a school in this case," he said.

"The Hawera Intermediate School has been a much loved and well respected institution in this town for 54 years and many of the local townsfolk spent a couple of happy years at the Intermediate.

"I'm totally unsurprised that there's a lot of people who are offering whatever support they can."

FIGHTING THE FIRE

Police and the fire service will join forces to investigate the cause of the fire.

The huge blaze, which was 75 by 80 metres at its peak, destroyed 10 classrooms, the library and the hall.

Four classrooms, the technology block and the administration area were undamaged.

No one was hurt in the fire.

At about 8.30am an emotional, principal Craig Simpson, linked arms with staff, parents and board of trustee members for a short karakia at school gates as the school burned.

Hawera chief fire officer Mike Fairweather said it was hard to say whether there was more than one fire. Nor would he say if he thought it was arson.

"It's way too early in the piece to find that out. We are still going through the overhaul."

The Fire Service was called out at 5.50am, he said.

"It was reasonably still at that hour of the morning, but with a dry wooden building full of school books and papers it didn't take long to for the little bit of wind we did have to fan it down the three blocks."

It took about two hours to get the fire under control, he said.

Thirteen fire engines and 48 fire fighters, from South Taranaki, New Plymouth and Whanganui attended the blaze.

Police Senior Sergeant Kyle Davie said the investigation to establish the cause of the fire would be carried out by the police and the fire service. It would begin when the fire service said the area was safe.

"It might be tomorrow or the next day."

The fire sirens were heard all around Hawera and by 6am a large crowd had gathered outside the school as fire tore through its double storey classroom block. , but they didn't cause any problems, he said.

"Most people were very compliant and respected that the fire and police had a job to do. We had no issues," Davie said.

Principal Craig Simpson said he was called about the fire at 6.30am and immediately drove the 40km to Hawera from Opunake, where he lives.

"My reaction on the way - a good cry at Manaia helped. Schools are very emotional places and you not only lose the buildings but you lose the interactions that go on, so I find that the hardest thing."

Simpson said many teachers and students were already at the school when he arrived.

"I rushed to school to find three quarters of our school on fire."

A trauma team would be checking processes were in place to help students, teachers and their families deal with the loss of the school, Simpson said.

The council, Fonterra and local schools, principals and chairpersons, had been very supportive, he said.

Hawera Intermediate Board of Trustees chairman Mark Crawshaw said children might be able to return to school by the end of the week, but he didn't yet know what schools they would return to.

Various schools in the town had already offered spare classrooms but Crawshaw said no decisions had been made yet about how the intermediate's 333 students would be accommodated.

"We've had an awesome response from other schools in the area."

He would be talking to the Ministry of Education to put a contingency plan in place for the rest of the year, Crawshaw said.

School board trustee and parent Jo Scott said the destruction was quite emotional for parents and students as there was so much history at the school.

"It is sad. After seeing the staff and principal crying - it means a lot to the community," she said.

Year 8 students Harmony Maraki, 12 and Jashana Tetue-Teuawiri, 13, said they were extremely sad about the fire.

"I really like school," Harmony said.

Jashana said she didn't want to go to another school while theirs was being rebuilt.

"I was really devastated. I want to go to Hawera Intermediate, not any other school."