Mahdia dorm had 26 heavily-grilled windows, 5 padlocked doors– Fire Service Report

May 25, 2023 News

---

– Indigenous group calls for thorough probe of all dormitories

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said that that the ill-fated Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory had ‘26 heavily grilled windows and five doors that were padlocked.’

The information is contained in the agency’s official report on the fire the broke out in the facility Sunday night claiming the lives of 19 children. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Tuesday alleged that Sunday night’s fire was reportedly maliciously set by a female student, who was aggrieved over her phone being confiscated by the dorm mother, Carletta Williams and a teacher. The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC is set to receive the file on the fire.

The GFS said a physical examination and investigation indicated that the point of origin of the fire was in the south-western interior of the building, in the lavatory area. It was around 23:00 hours on Sunday night, when the fire tore through the female dormitory. At the time of the fire, there were 57 female students in the dormitory which is a one-flat concrete building measuring about 100 feet by 40 feet, with several windows, all grilled, and five doors.

The Fire Service reported that around 22:15 hours a civilian ran into the Mahdia Fire Station and alerted the ranks of a building on fire at the secondary school. It was stated that an all-terrain vehicle #1 and crew under the command of Sub-Officer Scott immediately responded to the 111 Miles Potaro Road Mahdia, Region 8 location.

According to the GFS, when firefighters arrived on the scene, it was observed that the one-flat wooden and concrete building was engulfed in flames. A female student related to the police that they were asleep and were awakened by screams. Upon checking, they saw fire/smoke in the bathroom area, which quickly spread in the building, causing several students to receive burns to their bodies and smoke inhalation, whilst several managed to escape. This publication had reported that the fire fighters and public-spirited persons had to break the walls of the dorm to free the girls that were trapped in the inferno.

The injured students were taken to the Mahdia District Hospital and were seen, examined and admitted by doctors. At the hospital, five of the female students were pronounced dead. A search was carried out in the building, which was completely destroyed by the fire, and fourteen burnt remains of human beings were found. According to the police, the scene is presently secured and guarded by ranks as investigations continue.

 

 

 

The names of the children who died on Sunday are:

1. Adonijah Jerome
2. Tracil Thomas
3. Lisa Roberts
4. Delecia Edwards
5. Lorita Williams
6. Natalie Bellarmine
7. Arriana Edwards
8. Cleoma Simon
9. Subrina John
10. Martha D’Andrade
11. (and twin) Mary D’Andrade
12. Belnisa Evans
13. Loreen Evans
14. Omerfia Edwin
15. Nickleen Robinson
16. Sherena Daniels
17. Eulanda Carter
18. Andrea Roberts
19. Rita Jeffrey

Five-year-old Adonijah, who died in the fire, was the son of the dorm mother. Mayor of Mahdia, Mr. David Adams had explained that Williams has her own apartment that is attached to the female dormitory building. “I understand when she was alerted to the fire; she rushed out of her apartment and ran to save them, leaving her son behind. It was during the chaos that her son ended up perishing in the fire,” Mr. Adams said.

Mayor Adams also said, “It was compounded by the fact that we only have one fire tender in the town ship and what made it also difficult is the fact that they had no fire hydrant in the area where the fire took place. So the fire fighters had to shuttle water from the creek to the school, where the fire was. They really tried their best, given the circumstances and what they had to work with.”

The Mayor told this publication that the students did not have any training on fire prevention measures. He also confirmed that the dormitory was not equipped with any fire extinguisher at the time of the fire. “Going forward, we have to look at the systems that are in place for dormitory and schools, and ensuring that the necessary precautions are taken,” he added.

South Rupununi District Council

Meanwhile, the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) in a statement expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. “We mourn the loss of the 19 young, aspiring lives that had left the comfort of their homes to pursue high school education. We pray that their souls are granted eternal peace. This unfortunate event has brought awareness to one of the many issues affecting the education system in the hinterland areas, the dormitories. We are deeply concerned with the current situation,” they said.

The SRDC urged everyone to support and advocate for dormitories with proper infrastructure and safety procedures for children seeking education. The council continued: “Numerous concerns have been made regarding the dormitories, including the availability of healthy and sufficient food, access to fresh and clean water, electricity, security, proper utilities and furniture, layout and design of the buildings, and overall living arrangement of the students.”

They also called for a thorough investigation of all dormitories and for prompt remedial actions are taken to improve the situation.

The council recommended the following:

1)      The occupational, health and safety standards be vastly improved with emergency plans and equipment be in place.

2)      Replace all steel grills with less hazardous construction materials.

3)      Improve sleeping conditions for students.

4)      For every dormitory, a welfare officer be stationed to provide the necessary support to the students.

5)      Increase the number of caretakers at the dorms and carry out training so that they can adequately carry out their duties.

6)      Appropriate and adequate food supply for students.

7)      An enhanced team be established to monitor the dormitories across the hinterland.

 

---

---