Two weeks after the devastating fire that gutted Mae’s Schools in Subryanville, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has confirmed that the blaze was electrical in origin.
Fire Chief Gregory Wickham told Stabroek News yesterday that the investigation has now been completed, ruling out any external factors and pointing to an electrical fault as the cause.
This confirmation aligns with initial reports from sources who had observed electrical issues leading up to the fire.
The fire, which erupted just after 7:55 am on March 5th, rapidly consumed the wooden school building, displacing approximately 1,100 students. The timing of the incident was particularly alarming, as children were arriving for school. Parents, teachers, and students watched helplessly as flames engulfed the structure, reducing much of it to ashes.
Divisional Fire Officer Andrew Holder, who was on the scene that morning, noted that weather conditions and the age of the wooden structure contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. Firefighters initially attempted an aggressive response but had to shift to a defensive strategy due to the intensity of the blaze.
One fireman, Voshaun Manbodh, died days after from injuries sustained when a part of the building collapsed.
