Students are suspected of deliberately lighting a blaze that erupted in a hedge bordering Masterton Intermediate School yesterday.
Station Officer Mike Cornford said two Masterton fire crews were scrambled to the scene of the fire, which was burning along a 20-metre stretch of macrocarpa hedge that borders the playing fields along the school's western boundary.
Mr Cornford said the blaze was reported shortly before 1pm and had been quickly contained, although mature macrocarpa foliage was dense and firefighters were forced to completely saturate the hedge to dampen down hotspots within its core.
The hedge ran along the rear boundary of a residential property neighbouring the school and the fire crews had fought to keep the fire from spreading to a large garage that bordered the fenceline. He said the fire was being treated as suspicious and he suspected students from the school had lit the blaze.
School acting principal Frazer Mailman said he was investigating the possibility pupils were to blame for the blaze, which occurred during the lunchbreak.
