Grilled windows at Mahdia dorm were flagged as fire hazard in February – source

Sources say grilled windows at the Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory were flagged by the fire service as a hazard in November of last year and February of this year – months before Sunday’s deadly blaze that claimed 19 lives.

Stabroek New understands that the fire hazard was identified following an inspection by the Mahdia arm of the fire service, first in November 2022 and then in February 2023.

The Guyana Fire Service in a statement on Tuesday night said that the 26 windows of the flat concrete dormitory “were heavily grilled” while the five doors on the building were locked with keys.