A small Far North community is in shock after a suspicious fire destroyed an old school that had been used as a community recreation centre for years.

The former Wainui Bay School was little more than a burned-out shell on Tuesday morning, with much of the buildings’ structures destroyed, flames still flaring up in parts of the building, and the site shrouded in smoke.

The fire started about 2.20pm on Monday.

Firefighters from Kāeo, Kerikeri, Cavalli and Mangonui rushed to the scene, but after more than four hours battling the flames, they could not save the historic building.

Wainui Bay is about 35 kilometres north of Kerikeri, past Matauri Bay.

The school, which has such a big attachment to the local community, closed in the late 1960s or early 1970s after decades of providing an education to children from the area.

After closing down, it was gifted by the Williams family to the community as part of a trust that has since managed it as a recreation centre used by the entire community, for events such as weddings, birthdays and other social occasions and celebrations.

Kaitāia Volunteer Fire Brigade senior station officer Colin Kitchen was devastated by the blaze as his family had a strong connection to the site, with his wife Raina and her whānau going to school there.

“Over the years since its closure, thousands of schoolchildren, community groups and whānau have stayed at this iconic site. Personally, we as a family have enjoyed many great memories of happy times camping there and we are so gutted that this tragic event has happened,” Kitchen said.

He hoped something could rise from the ashes that would serve the community into the future.

Samuel Williams was one of the locals at the scene on Tuesday morning surveying the damage.

Williams, who went to the school in the 1950s, was saddened by the fire, saying it would be a big loss for the community.

“It’s just sad. It has a lot of memories for so many people around here. When [he used to attend the school] we’d walk, sometimes along the beach, or get here on a horse as there were no roads then – it’s just so bloody sad,” he said.

A spokesman for the Paora Paora whānau who was also at the scene on Tuesday morning said he drove past about 2.30pm on Monday and saw the building on fire. Shortly after it was totally engulfed.

“It went up quickly. My mum went to school here and it’s going to be such a big loss for the community. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Fire investigator Jason Goffin was also at the scene on Tuesday morning to try to establish the cause of the blaze.

Goffin said at this stage it was being treated as suspicious until there was proof otherwise.