Mahdia Tragedy: Five dorm doors were locked with keys – Fire Service report

More details into the deadly fire at the Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory on Sunday night are being made available.

In an updated press release issued on Tuesday night, the Guyana Fire Service confirmed that the building had 26 windows and five doors.

But the escape of the 56 students was curtailed because the windows were heavily grilled and the five doors were locked with keys, according to the Fire Service report.

Firefighters did manage to rescue 38 students by breaking holes in the north-eastern wall of the building.

Nineteen children perished in the fire, including a five-year-old boy.

A joint investigation by the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force concluded that the fire was maliciously set by a student, who 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.

The school housed girls from Mahdia, Campbelltown, Micobie, El Paso and several other villages in the North Pakaraimas in Region Eight.