A fire, which the Guyana Fire Service said was deliberately set, gutted the St. Angela’s Girl’s Hostel building in Karasabai Village, Region Nine yesterday morning and four male students have since confessed to committing the crime, according to police.
None of the 17 girls or caretakers was injured during the fire. The fire comes days after the tragic blaze at a Mahdia dorm which claimed the lives of 19 girls and a five-year-old boy.
The police in a statement yesterday afternoon said that, “the four alleged suspects were contacted and interviewed by the police in the presence of Commander, Region #9; the Regional Education Officer, Region #9; and their parents, and they all confessed to the planning and executing of the crime. The alleged suspects are presently in custody assisting with further investigations.”
The Guyana Fire Service yesterday appealed to persons to desist from copycat behaviour as such actions can have grave consequences.
“The Guyana Fire Service is therefore, again appealing to citizens to understand the gravity of these incidents; have serious discussions with youths about the dangers of fires, and to take all necessary precautions including the use of smoke detectors, fire alarms and fire extinguishers in order to be safe,” the statement said.
The police said investigations revealed that the students in question had been chased from the premises by the caretaker and in retaliation had threatened to set fire to the building.
The police in a separate release explained that it was a student who got up to use the washroom at approximately 3:15 am yesterday who discovered the building was on fire. She immediately raised an alarm.
After seeing the fire, an alarm was raised and ranks of the Karasabai police station and villagers immediately formed a bucket brigade and extinguished the fire. Their efforts prevented it from spreading to nearby buildings.
A quantity of books, beds, clothing, other personal effects, along with the building, were destroyed by the time the fire was extinguished, the fire service said.
“When they raised the alarm, parents who were close by responded to help… all the 17 girls made it out safe… the building was grilled…,” a resident, Andrew Albert, told Stabroek News.
He explained further that the students suffered great losses as all their school supplies, clothing, and other personal items were destroyed in the fire.
Catholic Media Guyana in a Facebook post said the fire destroyed one section of the St. Angela’s Girls’ Hostel. The dormitory facility was opened in August last year and was managed by Sr Nishi Kujur OSU.
The dorms, an apostolic service of the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, Germany, were constructed by the community via self-help and the Catholic Church, to accommodate girls from the six communities in the South Pakaraimas, Catholic Media explained in their post.
The students who are from the South Pakaraimas villages of Yurongparu, Rukumutu, Tipuru, Tiger Pond, and Taushida, utilised the facility during their studies in the village.
Subsequent to the fire, a team led by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Alfred King; Chief Education Officer, Mohamed Saddam Husain; Regional Education Officer, Karl Singh; psychologists attached to the Ministry of Health, Stephon Henry, and Antonio Furones; Fire Prevention Officer, Sheldon Sauns; and Police Commander, Superintendent Raphael Rose, visited the site.
During their visit, an inspection was carried out to determine the circumstances that led to the fire and address the needs of affected students and residents.
Benn and members of the team engaged residents in an open discussion led by Toshao Elvis Edwards, on the issues at hand.
Subsequent to the discussion, it was decided that the displaced students be housed in the Karasabai Hostel while replacement furniture, and care packages will sent into the village.
The GFS commended the residents of Karasabai who came out in their numbers to assist in the evacuation process as well as containing the fire, the fire service statement added.
Since the Mahdia dorm fire, questions have been raised about the preparedness to respond in the event of fire at schools and dormitories across the country.
The 20 children who perished at Mahdia have been identified as Sherana Daniels, 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.
