Latest update December 20th, 2024 4:27 AM
Latest News
- EPA shamefully omitted sections Exxon Permit to argue against unlimited parent company guarantee for oil spills- Dr. Adams
- Hicken appointed top cop
- Israeli attacks pummel Gaza’s north as UN denounces lack of aid access
- Brutus refutes claims of attempting to leave Guyana
- Man gets life imprisonment sentence for felonious wounding
High Court, school fire bombed
The capabilities of the Guyana Fire Service were tested early yesterday morning.
The Fire Service was called on to respond to two fires around the city, suspected to be the work of arsonists.
Around 2:55 hours yesterday the Fire service were summoned to the High Court where a fire had broken out minutes earlier.
Not long after, the unit was summoned to the Richard Ishmael Secondary School, in Woolford Avenue.
At the High Court Registry the fire destroyed a large amount of records.
Several lawyers who spoke to this newspaper said that the destruction of the records would cause a major setback for them in regards to some of the pending matters.
This they now claim that this would also add to the backlog of cases.
Earlier this year the Registry had taken steps to computerize records, but it is not clear how far that process had gone before yesterday’s fire.
The attempted arson on the High Courts Registry comes on the heels of the Auditor General’s probe into a multi-million-dollar fraud at the said registry.
When contacted, Auditor General Deodat Sharma said that fortunately, most of the records in his probe were 
not damaged. But some would have to be reconstructed.
He said that some became water soaked during the Guyana Fire Services effort to extinguish the blaze. Sharma said that this fire would not hamper his investigation but may delay it a bit.
Meanwhile, while trying to out the fire at the High Court the fire service was summoned to Woolford Avenue after fire erupted at the Richard Ishmael Secondary School. However, swift action there by the firemen saved that building too from going up in flames. Some walls were scorched.
Principal of the School, Chandroutie Persaud, who was in shock, said that she could not think of any motive for the school to be a target.
“The school has no problem with anybody…we have no major disciplinary problem at this school and we don’t know why anyone would want to do this.” Mrs. Persaud said.
One classroom was scorched but the damage was minimal. There were teachers and parents at the school, during the morning school hours, but there were no students since school was not in session having been disrupted because of what took place.
The Principal further said the Minister of Education visited the school along with the Crime Chief and they were dumbfounded at what had happened.
Minister of Education, Sheik Baksh, visited the institution yesterday morning and discussed future classroom situations with the teachers.
He also told the teachers that the Ministry had launched a team that included the Principal Education Officer, to assess the damage and to make plans for the necessary rehabilitation to the school. This would include replacing the destroyed desks; books and benches, according to the Minister School would most likely be in session from today.
When the Central Fire Station was contacted for a comment the Fire Chief was not available and the persons knowing of the fire were not present to give a comment.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
A question of timing and priorities
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The advent of significant oil discoveries has catapulted Guyana into the global spotlight.... more
Let the asylum seekers go: a first step for Venezuela to rebuild relations in the Americas
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – The government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela has steadfast support from many... more
Weekend Cartoon
