THE former home of the Cattle King Sir Sidney Kidman has gone up in flames at Kapunda High School, near South Australia's Barossa Valley, where it has stood for approximately 100 years.
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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.
"When emergency services arrived at the scene they found the old stone administration building fully ablaze," a SAPOL media release 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 there would be considerable interruption to learning programs today due to ongoing investigations.
"We will offer a modified learning program for students who attend school," he said.
"We understand if you choose to keep your child home, while we are working through this incident and providing a modified learning program.
"We will continue to keep you informed as we work through and rally our community."
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 are in attendance.
Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any information.
