Fire in Guyana school dorm kills at least 19 children as some officials allege arson

A fire ripped through the dormitory of a government boarding school in Guyana overnight, killing at least 19 trapped students and injuring several others as authorities investigate whether it was set deliberately. All of the victims were Indigenous girls, officials said Monday.

“This is a terrible incident. Tragic. Painful,” said President Irfaan Ali, adding that his government is using all possible resources while asking for help from the region to identify the remains of the 13 bodies.

The fire broke out around 10:50 a.m. Sunday in a high school dormitory building in a remote, mostly indigenous village located in the southwestern border town of Mahdia, a gold and diamond mining community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south. from the capital, Georgetown, the government said in a statement.

Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Scotland said “the fire was set” and started in the southwest corner of the building. However, Police Chief Clifton Hicken said “preliminary investigations indicate that it was set up incorrectly.” He also said that the girls’ dormitory had five doors, iron grill work trapped students inside.

Authorities did not provide further details and did not reveal what, if any, evidence pointed to arson.

“This is the saddest day of my life as president. I wish it had never happened,” Ali said.

‘Fire up’

A total of 59 girls usually live in the dormitory, but only 56 in the room when the fire started because three of them went home for the weekend. Thirteen girls and boys died in the dormitory, while five died in Mahdia Hospital, the government said.

Of the injured, six children were flown to Georgetown and 17 remain hospitalized in Mahdia, officials said.

Officials initially said 20 students were killed, but later updated the number to 19, with several others injured. National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said the figure was revised after doctors rescued a patient who was so critical that “everyone was dead.”

“When firefighters arrived on the scene, the building was completely engulfed in flames,” the Guyana Fire Service said in a statement. “My sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of that young soul.”

Officials said two children remain in critical condition and four are in critical condition.

“Firefighters were able to save about 20 students by breaking a hole in the northeast wall of the building,” the department said.

Native children’s school

The school caters mostly to Indigenous children aged 12 to 18, Gouveia said. He said it was too early to speculate what may have caused the fire, adding that thunderstorms in the area were a challenge for those responding by air.

“This is a battle for us,” he said. “The pilots are very brave, very determined.”

He added that the government and emergency responders were “making great efforts” to save the crowd.

Ali said officials are contacting parents and mobilizing psychologists to help those affected by the fire.

“I can’t imagine the pain the parents are going through right now,” he said. “This is a huge disaster.”

The opposition party, APNU + AFC, issued a statement saying it would pursue a full investigation and thanked people in the small community for helping authorities rescue the trapped children.

“We need to understand how this most horrific and deadly incident happened and take all necessary steps to prevent such tragedies from happening again in the future,” said opposition MP Natasha Singh-Lewis.