A FIRE which destroyed a Gwent infants school was caused by a tealight candle being left alight, investigators revealed yesterday.

Police are now probing who lit the candle and what they were doing in the infants and nursery section of Chepstow’s Thornwell Primary School in the early hours of June 3.

Officers say they are still treating the blaze as a suspected arson because of the recklessness of the candle being left alight there.

Around the time of the fire a man wearing a grey hooded top was seen running away from the area towards Bluebell Drive, officers revealed.

Matt Jones, station manager of the fire crime and investigation unit, said yesterday evidence collated by the crime scene investigators, witness statements from the caller who raised the alarm and the first fire crews on the scene showed the cause was someone leaving a tealight candle burning inside a PVC playhouse in the school grounds.

He said: “The playhouse was placed directly against the building allowing the flames to penetrate the wooden construction of the school. The fire would have also spread rapidly throughout the school due to the open common roof space.”

After the blaze, two male teenagers, aged 17 and 19, were arrested but were later released without any further action to be taken against them.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: “Inquiries are continuing. We are still treating it as arson until it is proven otherwise.Wewould encourage anyone who is using candles or flames to behave responsibly at all times.”

The blaze, which gutted three classrooms, a hall and the nursery unit, started in the school grounds and spread to the main building.

The junior block was not affected. All junior school pupils and some infant pupils returned to the school on June 7, with the rest returning to temporary accommodation at the site on June 13.

The Little Acorns playgroup, which occupied a demountable building on the site, was relocated to the Burnt Barn Social Club.

A Monmouthshire council spokesman said: “Regardless of the cause of the fire we still have substantial work to do to replace the lost buildings and will be working hard on that project.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.