Gunnedah school fire cause determined by police

Gunnedah Police Inspector Michael Wurth told the NVI on Thursday the cause of the fire had been determined, and it was "nothing suspicious".

He said investigators had examined the scene and the blaze was believed to have been caused by "sparks or something from workers on site."

"We're all pretty satisfied that it was an accident, no one was injured so Safe Work NSW shouldn't be involved. There's no further investigation from police," Inspector Wurth said.

The fire took hold at about 3.40pm on Wednesday. Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Gunnedah and Boggabri were deployed, along with the Tamworth district commander and a Tamworth HAZMAT crew.

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Gunnedah RFS crews, police and paramedics were also called to the scene.

St Xavier's is currently undergoing upgrades, and while the Kindergarten room wasn't a part of the works, it was the closest building to the work site.

Project manager for the works, Neil Mangelsdorf, declined to comment on the issue, but said it was an "unconfirmed construction incident".

Gunnedah Fire and Rescue captain Dave Welch said when the firies arrived, they set up exposure protection to "make sure the fire wouldn't spread to the adjoining buildings".

He said because they had RFS crews to back them, they were sent to the neighbouring buildings and the Gunnedah Tourist Caravan Park to ensure "no one was suffering from smoke inhalation because the smoke was quite heavy".

"It's good when the community's emergency services come together to work for a common cause," Mr Welch said.

He said the RFS helped firefighters with hydration control after they stepped off the fireground.

"The crew worked tirelessly and it was very hot ... and we had the firefighters checked out for their well-being after a few cycles. Carrying 20kg on your back isn't an easy feat and carrying the hose is quite strenuous," he told the NVI.

"It really was a big effort, a mammoth effort."

St Xavier's principal Jen Honner said they were working hard to create a space for the kindy kids to return to on Monday.

The staff have also received "overwhelming support" from parents wanting to donate, send flowers, and help out in anyway.

But she said the most important thing was to ensure the students were looked after.

"When the little ones arrive next week, we need to make sure they're being supported and if they need to talk about it we can talk about it," she said.

"It's about being mindful of how people are going whether they're children or adults."