Secretary to the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Mahdia school dormitory fire Javed Shadick has said the site visit last Wednesday by the commission did not contradict the testimonies offered by witnesses at the public hearings.
At a press briefing last Monday, Shadick had said that the Mahdia Secondary School, Fire Station and hospital were among the sites slated for inspection by the commission. The team departed Georgetown for Mahdia at 7 am on Wednesday and returned approximately 5 pm.
It was announced at the same press briefing that based on the examination of testimonies offered by 29 witnesses, the CoI had decided that no more were needed at this point.
Shadick had also stated that the CoI’s report was being compiled and Wednesday’s site visit would complement the accuracy of testimonies offered by witnesses.
“This site visit is basically to seek clarity in terms of location, and query what was testified during these public hearings and once that is done the report will be finalized and submitted within the timeframe provided,” the secretary explained.
He had noted that following the expiration of the commission and timeframe for submission of the report, another extension was given to mid-November.
However, the Mahdia Fire Station in Region Eight received new fire prevention equipment to boost its capacity, Officer in Charge Ryan Scott told commissioners during the site visit.
According to a release from the Department of Publication (DPI) Scott stated, “We acquired a cutter, power saw, small and big sledgehammers, and fireman axe. Those are parts of the equipment we need to use for breaking in… when you meet a fire scene, if you need to enter the building. That is for easier access, so you can use that as break-in tools or if there is a vehicle accident, you could use that to extract persons….”
Officials questioned whether the fire station was now better equipped to respond swiftly to emergencies, the release said.
Given that the trenches are dried up during the dry season, it added, Scott recommended that a well would be useful to replenish water for firefighting.
According to DPI, he said that the team was always prepared to respond to any type of fire, “and everything is based on time consumption. No two fires are the same… What we do is continuous training. So, in the case there is an emergency, we would respond.”
The Commission of Inquiry which began on September 15, saw the appearances of Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussein, former Regional Education Officer of Potaro-Siparuni Anesta Douglas, Fire Chief Gregory Wickham, Male Dormitory Warden Steve Jerome, Female Dormitory Warden Carlita Williams; Fire Inspector Javid Mohamed, and Scott, among other witnesses.
Chief Magistrate (ag) Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus back in August, swore in the members of the CoI into the May 21st Mahdia dormitory fire which claimed 20 lives. It is chaired by Major General (retired) Joseph Singh and comprises Chairman of the National Toshaos Council Derrick John and attorney-at-law and head of the University of Guyana’s Law Department Dr Kim Kyte-Thomas. They took their oaths at the Office of the President.
The Terms of Reference published on August 15th, 2023 mandated the CoI to: (1) inquire and report on the events and circumstances leading up to and causes of the Mahdia dorm fire on the night of May 20th, 2023; (2) inquire into and report upon the actions taken to provide swift care, medical attention and other forms of support and aid to families of the injured and deceased victims and (3) make recommendations and observations as may be deemed fit which include measures and actions that the commission may consider necessary to prevent recurrences of such tragedy.
