The devastating fire which ripped through the female dormitory at the Mahdia Secondary School was maliciously set by a student of the school, well-placed sources have told the News Room.

The student, the News Room was reliably told, was upset after her phone was taken away over objections by the school that she was engaging in matters dangerous to her well-being with an adult. She had pledged to give “trouble” over the actions taken against her.

The student was seen by other students spraying a substance in the air and then igniting a fire. The fire was set to some mattresses just outside the bathroom area of the dormitory.

I hope building codes will change after this

AP
By Bert Wilkinson
23 May, 2023 03:50 PM
3 mins to read

Investigators in Guyana believe a fire that killed 19 mostly girls trapped in a school dormitory was deliberately set by a student who was upset that her mobile phone was confiscated, a top official said.

The suspect in the fire late Sunday (local time), who is among several injured people, had been disciplined by the dorm administrator for having an affair with an older man, National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said. The student allegedly threatened to torch the dorm and later set a fire in a bathroom area, Gouveia said.

The fire raced through the wood, concrete and iron-grilled building after it had been locked for the night by the dorm administrator — or house mother — to prevent the girls from sneaking out, Gouveia said.

“She did this out of love for them. She felt she was forced to do so because many of them leave the building at night to socialise,” Gouveia told The Associated Press. “This is a very sad situation, but the state is going to work with the students and the families to provide all the support they need.”