By Clestine Juan

THE Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the devastating dormitory fire at Mahdia that claimed the lives of 20 children, commenced on Friday with emotional testimony from Steve Jerome, the ‘dorm father’ who rescued some of the survivors but lost his son in the blaze.

Jerome’s 10-year-old daughter was residing in the female dormitory along with his five-year-old son, whose mother was the ‘dorm mother’.

Visibly emotional during his testimony, he related that he was responsible for the well-being and health of the boys who resided in the male dormitory and he reported directly to the headteacher of the Mahdia Secondary School.

With the aid of a map, he provided crucial insights into the layout of the school and dormitories.

He explained that there were five living quarters for the boys, a storeroom, and his room, which was situated next to the toilet area—a layout that mirrored the female dormitory.

He said that the “only difference was that the house supervisor (dorm mother) was living in the storeroom.”

As Jerome recounted the events leading up to the tragic fire, he revealed that everyone had retired to bed by 21:00 hours. However, he was awakened around 23:00 hours by an unfamiliar noise.

“I was in my room, lying on my bed when I heard a commotion in the compound,” he stated. Upon investigation, Jerome said he discovered that it was a sheep and after dismissing the noise as inconsequential, he returned to bed.

Sometime later, he heard a noise emanating from the female dormitory, which he admitted had become a regular occurrence.

“We have been encountering problems with these girls being possessed… I’m not too sure of what…” he said.

He further explained that the girls frequently complained of being chased by paranormal entities such as spirits, encountering small figures, or seeing snakes.

After retiring to bed once more, he was again jolted from his sleep. This time by loud sounds he described as “trampling”, which were coming from the female dormitory.

“I got up and saw fire coming from under one of the dorm’s doors… I heard loud screams,” he recounted.

Jerome also recalled seeing flames originating from the bathroom area of the dormitory and he emphasised that he hadn’t observed fire coming from any other location.

SWIFT ACTION

Acting swiftly, he retrieved a fire extinguisher from his room and rushed over to the female dormitory.

There, he met the house mother, who informed him that she couldn’t open the dormitory doors. Jerome wasted no time and forcefully kicked them open.

“After the doors opened, I ran with the fire extinguisher and sprayed it, but it didn’t make any sense because there was smoke all over the place,” he lamented.

He described the scene as chaotic, with heavy smoke obscuring his vision. Despite this, Jerome said he managed to assist more than ten girls through the middle door.

He also recalled obtaining the keys from the house mother to unlock another door.

Upon opening it, he was knocked to the ground by the girls rushing to escape, but he didn’t hesitate to pull two girls to safety, despite the intense heat and smoke.

“There was a lot of heat and smoke… It was very dark and had a terrible scent… I pulled out the two girls who were on the floor and I held their hands,” he said.

As he returned to the burning building, Jerome heard a girl inside praying fervently, “Please help me, God.” Despite the challenging conditions, he managed to rescue her.

Still, he could hear the desperate cries of other girls who were trapped inside. “I was hearing the girls, but I couldn’t see anything,” he added.

Amidst the chaos, Jerome’s own daughter cried out for help. “She was on the ground, crawling… I held her by the hips and pulled her out,” he said as he broke down in tears.

Worried about his son, Jerome said he remained resolute. “I was listening for my son’s voice, but I couldn’t hear anything… All I wanted was my son.”

While outside, Jerome noticed a girl trapped in the house supervisor’s room, which was filled with smoke.

“I pushed my hand in and pointed her to the direction out, but she came up and said that she can’t see anything,” he said.

With the assistance of neighbours, they managed to break the grill and rescue the girl and several others who were inside.

He pointed out that the only person who was conscious was the little girl who he was talking to. She was able to breathe in fresh air from the window.

He added that a fire service tender came and “sprayed” water on the burning building.

He broke down in tears as he told the CoI how he kept asking for his son. He only learnt of his son’s passing during the emergency medical evacuation.

“I asked to see my son because I knew he wasn’t alive anymore and they didn’t let me,” he added.

NO INSPECTIONS, NO TRAINING

Jerome went on to reveal that he has been working at the school since 2018 and during that time, no inspections were done by the Ministry of Education or the Local Government Ministry. However, he acknowledged that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) had renovated the dormitory.

While being questioned by the CoI’s prosecutor, Keoma Griffith, Jerome disclosed that he only received fire prevention training after the devastating fire.

He also explained that the grill work on the dormitory’s windows had been installed to enhance security, as there had been previous instances of the girls’ bringing males into the building at nights.

During the proceedings, CoI chairman, Major General (retired) Joe Singh, inquired about the presence of a phone at the school.

Jerome revealed that the school did not have a phone, and he often used his personal cellphone to make necessary calls.

CONFUSION

Meanwhile, pilot Mohamed Yacoob Mazhar-Ally also testified about braving dangerous weather to evacuate badly burnt students.

Mazhar-Ally explained that, on the night in question, he was already in Madhia since he was doing shuttle flights for Air Services Limited.

He explained that there was “confusion” at the airstrip with screams coming from the victims.

“At Mahdia it was clear, but we noticed fog and low cloud approaching,” he said while explaining that this condition greatly reduced visibility.

He pointed out that an aircraft from Roraima Airways landed and he saw Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, and others exiting. The minster and others assisted three victims into Mazhar-Ally’s plane and they were accompanied to Georgetown by two nurses.

He further recalled that during the journey, the nurses had to resuscitate one of the victims.

“I heard them crying and asking for their parents… I could smell the burnt flesh…Some of them were bleeding,” he added.

The witness said that he was cleared at 03:15 hours and departed Mahdia for the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast of Demerara.

He explained that the journey took under an hour and when he landed and opened the door, he saw that the nurses were still trying to resuscitate one of the girls.

The CoI will continue on Monday.

On May 22, the country was plunged into mourning after the fire which the authorities later determined was maliciously set, ravaged the dormitory.

At the time of the fire, 56 of the girls were present, as three had gone home to their families for the weekend.

The children housed there were from Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie, and Chenapao, all remote communities in the region.

Several of the survivors were airlifted to Georgetown for emergency care. One critically injured girl was medevacked to a New York health facility for further treatment and has since been released.

The CoI is tasked to investigate and report on the events leading up to the dormitory fire, as well as the causes. Additionally, the CoI will examine the actions taken to provide care, medical attention, and support to the injured and deceased and their relatives in a timely manner.

The commission is also expected to make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.