THE former home of the Cattle King Sir Sidney Kidman has gone up in flames at Kapunda High School, where it has stood for approximately 100 years.
Sir Kidman's home, Eringa, was ablaze last night after a fire spread from a nearby classroom into the former homestead which now acts as an administration building, with emergency services called to the site at approximately 9.10pm.
The building was donated to the school in the 1920s, but has now been completely gutted by the fire, with concerns whether it will survive now swirling.
A SAPOL media release said the cause of the fire remained unknown, but police were treating the fire as suspicious.
"When emergency services arrived at the scene they found the old stone administration building fully ablaze," it said.
"Fire crews battled the blaze for most of the night and managed to contain the fire, but extensive damage has been caused to two buildings."
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In a statement on Facebook, Kapunda High School principal David Marino said the school would be closed for the rest of the week.
"This is so we can make sure the school is safe and we have time to reconnect power and other essential services before we reopen on Monday," the post said.
"Counsellors from the department will also be made available to students and staff as required.
"We would like to say a big thank you to the Country Fire Service and SA Police for their swift response - we appreciate your hard work."
Emergency services remained on the scene this morning to monitor conditions, with the cause of the fire unknown at this stage.
Fire technicians from Adelaide were in attendance.
Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any information.
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