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Orewa College - Source: ONE News -
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One school has closed and others have shut off heating due to concerns about boilers following the fatal explosion at Orewa College.
Orewa caretaker, Richard Louis Nel, 59, died after an explosion and fire in the school's boiler room Wednesday.
The school was closed on Thursday but was due to reopen on Friday.
Salford School in Invercargill was also closed on Thursday after a boiler began leaking hot water.
Principal Marlene Campbell said the boiler began leaking Wednesday and contractors were called in to examine it.
"After consulting with those involved, we decided the closing would be the best thing. Hearing about Orewa was pretty much the final nail," she told the Southland Times.
The boiler had been patched by contractors but was due to be replaced next Friday.
"The boiler couldn't be fixed, it was at the end of its life. It's been here since the school opened in 1971," she said.
Several other Southland schools had also inspected their boilers following the Orewa explosion.
Spotswood College students in Taranaki have been working in cold classrooms after the heating was shut off due to a fault. The heating system is the same as the one used at Orewa College.
Principal Graeme McFadyen told the Taranaki Daily News problems with the aging systems are common but he ruled out any scenario similar to that at Orewa.
Students had been allowed to forgo their uniforms and wear mufti to stay warm and fan heaters had also been brought in.
Waitara High School principal Jenny Gellen said her school had the same system.
"Most schools have them and I'm sure they'll all be having a look at them now. Sometimes they do wear out but it's vital to ensure they don't get to that stage," she told the paper.
Investigations into the cause of the Orewa explosion will
continue on Friday.
