Sources say grilled windows at the Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory were flagged by the fire service as a hazard in November of last year and February of this year – months before Sunday’s deadly blaze that claimed 19 lives.
Stabroek New understands that the fire hazard was identified following an inspection by the Mahdia arm of the fire service, first in November 2022 and then in February 2023.
The Guyana Fire Service in a statement on Tuesday night said that the 26 windows of the flat concrete dormitory “were heavily grilled” while the five doors on the building were locked with keys.
On May 21, a fierce blaze took hold of the female dormitory just before midnight claiming the lives 18 females and a five-year-old, the son of the dorm mother.
According to the sources, following the initial inspection, a report with recommendations was handed over to the relevant authorities and forwarded to Georgetown. At the same dormitory, recommendations for working fire extinguishers were also made.
However, when the fire team carried out a follow up visit in February on the building that was constructed sometime in 2006/2007, none of the recommendations had been implemented.
It was noted that not just the dormitory was inspected but all the government buildings located in the township, at the centre of the country. A source, who is familiar with the report, went on to explain that none of the recommendations made has been implemented at any of the buildings to date.
When Stabroek News earlier this week contacted Headley Pio, the Chairman of Region Eight of which Mahdia is the capital town, he asked that all questions be directed to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Peter Ramotar.
Ramotar while responding to questions from this newspaper on what actions they would have taken since the recommendations were handed over, became agitated and asked, “Why are you asking all of these questions now… do you have such systems in your office?”
He nonetheless stated that to his knowledge, the dormitory was equipped with some amount of fire extinguishers but he could not say how many were in place.
“As far as I am aware we have fire extinguishers. I cannot say how much but I know we would have had extinguishers on location,” Ramotar responded.
Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn; acting Fire Chief, Dwayne Scotland; and resident Parkinson John, told this newspaper that a single fire extinguisher canister was found outside of the building.
Scotland, in response to questions from this newspaper, stated that there was limited evidence to suggest fire prevention measures were in place at the dormitory. He noted that while they found empty fire extinguishers, it is uncertain whether they came from within the dorm or from external efforts to fight the fire.
Mahdia Mayor, David Adams, had told this newspaper that from his independent investigations, the students were not exposed to fire drills nor was the building equipped with fire escapes and extinguishers.
“In the aftermath we will now have to look at measures to have in place water mains so that the fire service can work effectively and relook at the security measures in place,” Adams stated.
Even as Ramotar confirmed there was a fire inspection exercise some months back, as REO of the region he could not confirm if the recommendations were in place.
“I don’t know what you would determine as adequate, but no, we don’t have sprinkler systems and alarms or fire buckets but there are some fire extinguishers,” Ramotar added.
Moreover, Stabroek News was told that the fire station had made recommendations for resources to aid in their duties but they are still awaiting for those requests to be processed.
Lumber
On the night of the fire, firefighters had to use axes and pieces of 4×4 lumber to create openings in the wall in their fire rescue efforts.
Despite that, the fire service, the source pointed out, was challenged as they had to source water as the tanker had a limited capacity.
“While they were sourcing water from a drain nearby, the tanker finish and they had to send it to refill and by time they come back the water source was flowing. That was one part of the challenge they had and another part was getting to the compound as residents who responded with their vehicle parked in every direction, so that was another challenge,” the source highlighted.
But apart from fighting fires, the source said the station would require equipment such as sledgehammers, and Jaws of Life among other equipment to save lives if ever there is a flash flood and persons are trapped in their homes.
The community is subject to flooding during the rainy season.
It was related too, that some of the firefighters are now receiving counselling as the episode has been one of the most traumatic and devastating they have witnessed.
“It took a toll on them and affected them mentally, physically and emotionally. The counsellors are in the region and some of them have more sessions they have to attend because the men are having flashbacks on what they saw,” the source explained.
Since the fire, which resulted in the death of the students, numerous questions have been raised over fire prevention and fire preparedness capabilities within the live-in school system across the country. While this is the most devastating fire on record for the country, it is not the first dormitory fire. On August 31, 2008, a fire broke out in the girls’ dorm at Waramadong Secondary School. Three of the 12 students there at the time – Eleven-year-old Zanita Sam, 13-year-old Savylin David, and 13-year-old Sharmileza George, all of Kubenang, Upper Mazaruni in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) – perished in its wake. The entire building, which had no electricity, was destroyed.
In December 2007, the boys’ dormitory of the Bartica Secondary School also in Region Seven, was completely destroyed in a fire of unknown origin with no fatalities occurring.
Sunday’s night fire claimed the lives of twin sisters Mary and Martha Dandrade, Bibi Rita Jeffrey, Sabrina John, Loreen Evans, Belnisa Evans, Omefia Edwin, Natalie Bellarmine, Andrea Roberts, Lorita Williams, Nickleen Robinson, Sherena Daniels, Eulanda Carter, Lisa Roberts, Cleoma Simon, Tracil Thomas, and sisters Delecia Edwards and Arianna Edwards along with five-year-old Adonijah Jerome, the son of the caretaker. A number of them hailed from villages outside of Mahdia.
Benn, whose ministry has the responsibility for the fire service, on Tuesday told this newspaper that they will have to up their fire prevention activities and conduct an extensive review of preventative measures in place.
“Yes we will, obviously we have to upgrade the efforts… we have been doing [fire readiness inspection], fire drills and fire talks in schools that still happens with students and guards, but what we have to do is a comprehensive assessment in the dormitories to get a better handle of the situation,” Benn asserted.
Benn, who was part of the team of government officials led by President Irfaan Ali to Mahdia, emphasised “There was no door which was grilled. The windows were grilled but it was wooden doors.”
“It appears in the panic to get out, with a large number of girls going towards the room in which the housemother was [time was lost]. She heard the commotion and heard them pounding on her door and when she opened the door there was this fire and her little son ran away from her and he died. She went to the door, with them around her,” the minister related from what he was told.
Approximately 10 bodies were found in the vicinity of the dorm mother’s quarters. It is likely that they were trying to get to her room.
“Where the fire started there was an area with mattresses stored… those caught alight and the fire got into the plastic type ceiling and proceeded along the roof with burning pieces falling onto beds which are of sponge, it went very quickly.”
Benn said he gathered that the housemother was caught off guard by the situation and in a panicked and frantic situation as she tried to open the main door the keys dropped twice and she had difficulty finding the right key for the lock. By that time when the door was open, the whole place was on fire. Benn clarified that while the doors to the building were not grilled they were locked from the inside.
“Yes, well is nighttime, the doors were locked and you would have had to open the doors from inside to get out, When the students went banging on the door [of the housemother she] had to open the main door,” he stated.
Scotland had previously told Stabroek News on Monday that the fire was maliciously set. The findings were handed over to the police and legal advice is now being sought from the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
GPF’s Corporate Communications Unit Director, Mark Ramotar, said in a statement on Tuesday night, “Police investigations so far… reveal that a female student is suspected of having set the devastating fire because her cellular phone was taken away by the dorm mother and a teacher.”
