Major disaster averted after PC student allegedly sets fire to mattress at dorm
Chaos erupted at the President’s College male dormitory after a student allegedly lit a mattress on fire in the early hours of Monday morning.
However major disaster was averted after prompt response by the houseparent on duty resulting in the blaze being quickly extinguished.
Reports are that the incident occurred at about 05:00h.
This publication understands that the level of destruction was at a minimum but there are reports of at least one student being injured.
When contacted the school’s principal, declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Fire Chief (acting) Gregory Wickham confirmed the incident occurred, but only shared that investigations are ongoing.
This incident has occurred as the one-year anniversary for the deadly Mahdia Secondary School Dorm fire approaches. That fire, which had occurred on May 21, 2023, had claimed the lives of 20 children.
A section of the male dormitory at President’s College
Some of the survivors from that tragedy were relocated to the PC dorms.
Meanwhile, this publication understands that the sister of one of the survivors of the Mahdia fire tragedy, who is a student at PC, upon hearing the commotion, got startled and jumped through a window in a bit to get to safety.
The 11-year-old student from El Paso, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) received injures and was taken to a city hospital. This newspaper was told that her mother has since been contacted by the school and she will be traveling to the city today.
On May 21, 2023, tragedy struck at the Mahdia Secondary School girls’ dormitory, which had housed 56 girls and a five-year-old boy from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie and Chenapau, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). The Guyana Fire Service confirmed that 14 children died in the inferno, while five succumbed to their injuries at the Mahdia District Hospital. Another died days later.
The fire claimed the lives of Subrina John; Belnisa Evans; Loreen Evans; Bibi Rita Fiona Jeffrey; Lisa Roberts; Tracil Thomas; Delecia Edwards; Lorita Williams; Natalie Bellarmine; Arianna Edwards; Cleoma Simon; Martha Dandrade; Mary Dandrade; Omerfia Edwin; Nickleen Robinson; Sherlyn Bellarmine; Eulander Carter; Andrea Roberts; Sherana Daniels and Adanye Jerome, the son of the dorm mother.
A 15-year-old girl was charged in June 2023 with 20 counts of murder for the arson. She has since been detained at a juvenile holding facility.
