Mystery fire destroys admin building at Diamond Secondary School

A fire of unknown origin destroyed a part of the Diamond Secondary School on Monday. Persons living in close proximity to the school were awakened by screams of “fire” after the security guard at the facility noticed the flames.
Reports are the guard noticed flames emanating from the front building in the compound at about 02:00h and raised an alarm. With the assistance of public-spirited citizens, the fire was contained before the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) ranks arrived.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry stated that the fire began in the administrative building, which housed the Head teacher and deputy head teacher’s offices along with the computer laboratory and the library.
According to the Ministry, checks were made by the GFS to ascertain whether there was a power surge affecting that area at the time of the blaze and it was found that there was no issue with the electricity supply.
When Guyana Times visited the school, the security guard declined to comment. Meanwhile, Fire Prevention Officer, Andrew Holder would only say that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
The Education Ministry also noted that regional officials are being engaged to ensure plans are in place to cater for the smooth operations when the school reopens.

Missing money
Recently the Diamond Secondary School was at the centre of an investigation after a large sum of money that was collected from students for the school’s graduation ceremony reportedly disappeared.
During the probe of that incident, four teachers were taken into custody and questioned at the Golden Grove Police Station. They were subsequently released on station bail.