Eleven inmates were injured and hundreds more dislocated when prisoners set fire to a dorm yesterday at the Lusignan Prison following a drug seizure.
There was no reported death or escape as wardens quickly evacuated the prisoners after the blaze started.
This was the third major fire at a prison facility in just over four years. On March 3rd 2016, prisoners set fire to the capital offences section of the Camp Street Prison and 17 prisoners died. On July 9th, 2017 the entire Camp Street facility was burnt to the ground by prisoners.
Yesterday’s unrest and fire came after the seizure of a quantity of marijuana. Inmates reportedly started the fire at approximately 11:45 am at the back of the old wooden dormitory.
A source explained to this newspaper that the prisoners began rioting upon learning that a fellow inmate was being assaulted by three prison officers who had made the narcotics bust.
The entire dormitory building and a section of the Administrative building were gutted by the fire. Stabroek News understands that inmates utilized material that they had in their possession during the riot and set the buildings on fire. With the dormitory building being old and made of wood, the fire swiftly consumed it. The setting of the fire exposes how easily security at the facility was overrun.
Police in a brief statement yesterday said the unrest began after the confiscation of a large quantity of marijuana.
In the police statement, it was disclosed that the relevant joint services protocol was activated and ranks were able to contain the riot and escort most of the prisoners from the Lusignan Prison to nearby facilities. The situation was contained and logistics and other systems were being implemented.
The fire has been completely extinguished and several inmates who sustained injuries are receiving medical attention, police said.
Regional Police Commander of Region 4 ‘C’, Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor told Stabroek News that the injuries the inmates sustained were as a result of the rioting and fire.
There has been no official statement from the Prison Service, however Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels last night told Stabroek News that among the 11 injured inmates were two persons who had to seek medical attention at the George-town Public Hospital. Those inmates were however treated and discharged as the hospital did not see any reasons to have them admitted.
Asked about the relocation of the inmates, Samuels said accommodation was found at three prison facilities.
He also said that the situation was under control and that a press conference will be held during the course of today to provide clarity and answers on the fire.
Sources told Stabroek News that 30 prisoners are being accommodated at the Camp Street Prison, 50 at the Timehri Prisons and the remainder at the Lusignan Holding Bay which was established after the July 2017 Camp Street Prison Fire.
Dislocated
According to de facto Minister of Public Secu-rity, Khemraj Ramjattan about 280-300 inmates were dislocated as a result of the fire.
“I received calls from both Director of Prisons Mr. [Gladwin] Samuels and Police Commissioner Leslie James that the old building of the Lusignan Prison was on fire and subsequently that it seemed that the entire building was destroyed,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News when contacted as the fire was blazing.
“”There apparently was a discovery of a quantity of marijuana and after that there was an argument among inmates; seems the persons who owned the marijuana, and others. It was during that [argument] that the fire started… The entire thing is destroyed so we have to find accommodation for about 300 prisoners…,” he said.
When the fire began to blaze, residents, who had ventured close to the prisons recalled that they heard inmates crying out for help as the fire ripped through the building.
Stabroek News was told that Prison Wardens immediately sprang into evacuation mode as since the fatal Camp Street prison fire there had been a number of drills for inmates and wardens. Upon being evacuated, the prisoners were placed in an open area under heavy security.
Along with the Guyana Prison Service Water Bowser, Guyana Fire Service fire tenders were put into action as they worked to contain the blaze that ravaged the buildings. Rain also assisted in putting out the fire.
Huge plumes of smoke could be seen from a distance and as family members learnt of the fire they arrived to check on their loved ones. However, they were prevented from venturing close to the prison due to security restrictions put in place.
Members of the Guyana Defence Force and the Police Tactical Services Unit were also deployed to the scene to beef up security.
A Guyana Defence Force helicopter was also engaged in a search within the prison environs for any inmate who would have possibly escaped.
Within the past five years there have been several major eruptions of unrest among Lusignan inmates resulting in fires being set to the dormitory and other buildings. Quick responses by prison guards resulted the quelling of the fires.
On March 3, 2016 just before 11 am a fire was started by inmates housed in the Capital Offences section of the Camp Street prison. At the time, members of the Joint Services were trying to move the prisoners in the wake of a protest the night before when several fires had been lit.
The inmates who died were Jermaine Otto, Randolph Marques, Rayon Paddy, Sherwin Trotman, Shaka McKenzie, Anthony Primo, Andrew Philander, Aaron Eastman, Kirk Clarke, Latchman Partap, Rohan Teekaram, Hillary Amos, Clifton Joseph, Chetram Dwarandat, Mohamed Asraf Ally, Richard Hubbard and Delroy Williams. Several others were injured.
July 9,2017
Just over three years ago, inmates burned down the entire Camp Street Prison facility. The fire began close to 3 pm and by 8 pm July 9, 2017 the entire complex, many of the aged buildings made of wood, were ablaze. The complex was flattened.
Hundreds of prisoners were evacuated from the facility and taken to the Lusignan Prison and other facilities.
According to two kitchen staffers, it was during the scheduled dinner feeding that the prisoners launched their attack. They recounted that the attack began around 3 pm. During the starting of the fire, several dozen prisoners were taken out and transported to the sports bar, opposite the prison where they were kept secure. However, the situation escalated after thick smoke was seen emanating from the roof of the sports club. Scores of people who were around started running and screaming as they realised the sports bar was also on fire.
According to information reaching Stabroek News, the prisoners continued the unrest in the sports bar and several of them broke bottles of alcohol and set the building on fire. Within minutes the entire building was engulfed in flames and the fire service again was unable to prevent the building from burning to the ground.
