St. George’s High School fire was electrical in nature.
The Guyana Fire Service has completed its investigation into the fire which destroyed the St. George’s High School on July 20, 2022 and based on the findings the fire was electrical in nature. According to the Guyana Fire Service the fire stemmed from an inoperable duplex receptacle located in the Social Studies Department on the North Eastern wall of the building.
Though inoperable, electricity was going to the duplex receptacle and the subsequent overheating of the insulation caused the plastic coating on the wire to melt, resulting in arcing and sparking which ignited nearby combustibles and spread to the entire building.
The building which housed 421 students and 25 teachers was completely destroyed. A transition teacher at the school said she and other students were in the building when the alarm was raised by a cleaner.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Fire Service is urging citizens to ensure electrical appliances, outlets and wiring are of the correct standard as advised by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS). These items should be examined on a regular basis to ensure they are in proper working order.
Citizens are also advised to equip their homes and businesses with fire extinguishers and smoke detectors for the early detection and extinction of fires.