Three pre-teen girls perished in a fire of an unknown origin, which destroyed the female dormitory of the Waramadong Secondary School in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) on Sunday night.
Dead are Zanita Sam, 11; Savylin David, 13; and Sharmileza George, 13 all of Quibnang Village, Upper Mazaruni.
According to a police press release, around 11 pm on Sunday, the fire destroyed the dormitory of the school which is located on the Mazaruni River. The building, the release said, had no electricity and it has not yet been ascertained how the fire started.
The release said that a team of investigators was dispatched to the area.
Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, who travelled to Waramadong told the media at the Ogle Aerodrome last evening that when he learned about the incident he got on the phone with Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, at approximately 7 am yesterday and they headed to the location.
Baksh said when they arrived at Waramadong they learned that three female students were missing and at the time, residents were not sure whether the girls had been consumed by the fire. Their remains were subsequently found.
According to the Education Minister, the fire started at approximately 10.40 pm on Sunday. At the time, the minister said, there were only 12 students along with the House Mother in the building.
One of the 12 girls jumped out a dormitory window to escape and suffered a broken leg. She is now being treated at the Kamarang Hospital. Two of the girls who perished were said to have been asleep and the other one had reportedly run back into the burning building for her bag and never returned, Baksh said.
The fathers of the three girls flew out of Waramadong along with their remains last evening. Baksh explained that the bodies, which were found together, were almost completely burnt and the parents were unable to identify them.
Lall said the remains would be identified with the aid of DNA technology and the parents would then be able to return home and make arrangements for the last rites of the girls to be conducted.
He further stated, that while it was not certain, some of the children had reported that the fire might have been started by a candle, which had been lit and left unattended in the dormitory.
While in Waramadong, Baksh said, he announced that there would be no school there this week. He said that being on location allowed them to make that important decision and they were also able to speak with the distressed residents.
The building is “…completely destroyed…in ashes”, Baksh said. He said the burned building was one of the older dorms which had been recently renovated by the ministry.
The secondary school is responsible for educating 450 children who come from a number of Amerindian villages in the proximity of Waramadong, the minister said.
Baksh said Cabinet would be approached to have the dormitory rebuilt as soon as possible. However, he said there was adequate accommodation available for the students at present.
Expressing shock, Baksh said the fire was even more distressing to the Ministry of Education because it occurred at the beginning of the new school year, the beginning of Education Month and the launch of Amerindian Heritage month.
Crispin David, Willis Charlie and Albert Sam, the fathers of Savylin David, Sharmileza George and Zanita Sam, respectively, were being consoled by Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr Desrey Fox, last evening at the Ogle Aerodrome.
Albert stood among the group grieving, a steady flow of tears streaming down his cheeks. “One of my daughter jump out the window,” he said, “but the other one get caught.”