Guyana girls dorm fire that killed 19 deliberately set by student, says official

The burned dormitory of a secondary school in Mahdia, Guyana (Guyana’s Department of Public Information via AP/PA)

Investigators in Guyana believe a fire that killed 19 people, mostly girls trapped in a school dormitory, was deliberately set by a student who was upset that her mobile phone was confiscated, an official said.

The suspect, who is among several injured people, had been disciplined by the dorm administrator for having an affair with an older man, National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said.