Valentine's heroes put out school fire
FIREFIGHTERS have praised two quick-thinking dads who ran to and from a tap armed with an ice-cream bucket of water to put out a fire at a Cairns school.
Paul O’Grady spotted smoke billowing out of White Rock State School about 4pm yesterday and called out to his neighbour Mark Hassett.
Pictures: Hero dads save school
Their partners, Deanne Pavey and Shoko Hassett, dialled 000 as the men "sprinted across the road like there was no tomorrow".
Mr Hassett said he and Mr O’Grady found a wooden stump smouldering near the school’s tuckshop and the grass around it on fire.
"Lucky the container was in the garden next to it," he said.
"I don’t know how many times we ran up and back with the container to put it out. It could have been worse."
Ms Pavey and Mrs Hassett said they were proud of their partners’ actions.
"Now he’ll have to put out my burning heart," Ms Pavey said.
Mrs Hassett said her husband was her "Valentine’s Day hero".
Police and fire crews arrived as the fire was extinguished, but found an aerosol can left at the scene.
Vandalism at Far Northern public schools cost taxpayers more than $3500 a week to fix damaged buildings and to replace books and computers last year.
Anyone with any information should call Cairns police on 4030 7000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Saved the day: Paul O’Grady and Mark Hassett jumped to action to put out a burning log.
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