Education Minister Priya Manickchand speaking with firemen after the fire was extinguished
A section of the Christ Church Secondary school was destroyed by fire on Wednesday afternoon.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said that it received a call at 16:29h and subsequently dispatched four water tenders from locations across Georgetown.
According to Fire Chief Gregory Wickham, preliminary investigations have revealed that the fire was chemical in nature, and it was quickly identified and contained.
“As they (fire officers) arrived and they were able to gain entry, they recognised that it was not generally smoke, but it was some chemicals. And so they entered the prep room and… were able to identify the area where the chemicals were,” he explained.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn along with firemen inspecting the damage
He added that although fires caused by chemicals were not something that the GFS regularly responded to, officers are well-trained and equipped to handle such situations.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand revealed that at the time of the fire, teachers were still in the building. However, no injuries have been reported.
Manickchand further expressed her satisfaction that the school was saved from total destruction as she applauded the firefighters’ prompt response to the fire.
“Anything that destroys a school really hurts a lot of children for a long time,” she posited.
Firefighters outside the Christ Church Secondary School
She also acknowledged that many other schools have labs with the same chemicals and in this regard, noted that this was a cause for concern.
“We’re very concerned about anything that could destroy a school… we’re in that process right now, looking at all high schools and how we can make sure we dispose safely of chemicals that may have expired, and I’m not suggesting that that’s what happened here, I’m just saying that’s one of the processes we’re engaged in currently,” the Minister said.
Manickchand told reporters that as a result of the situation, the school will remain closed this week and will reopen on January 9.
Smoke emanating from the side of the building
Over the past years, we have seen many schools destroyed by fire across the country. These include North Ruimveldt Multilateral School; North West Secondary School; Diamond Secondary School; Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI); Amelia’s Ward Primary School and St George’s School.
The fire at North Ruimveldt Multilateral School occurred in June of 2021, leaving 512 students and 39 teachers displaced during the time when 65 of those students were scheduled to write the 2021 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips at the scene of the fire
The North-West Secondary School fire, on the other hand, occurred in September of 2021. Inquiries disclosed that a security guard of Baranobo Hill, Mabaruma, was in his guard hut on his cellular phone when he heard three loud explosions. The sounds emanated from a room on the second floor of the eastern side of the building.
Checks were made and he observed the room engulfed in flames. On the Fire Service’s arrival on the scene, the fire was extinguished – but most of the building was damaged. That fire was ruled as arson.
In July of last year, a massive fire destroyed St George’s High School in Georgetown. That fire was “electrical in nature”, the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service said.
Following the blaze, the Education Ministry commenced a registration process for displaced students to ensure that they were placed in a school for the new academic year.
