Dormitory fire adds drama to Origin game in Chuave

 By ZACHERY PER
The State of Origin game on Wednesday night produced plenty of action and excitement, but for a community in Chuave it was drama of a different sort.
Shortly before the 8pm kick-off, fire broke out in a dormitory at Yaweh Moses Secondary School.
Students who had gathered on the field to watch the TV telecast rushed to the building but were forced back by the flames.
Police were called but according to principal Paul Kaupa Gomna, when they arrived they appeared to be intoxicated.
He said the policemen fired some shots into the air and threatened the students.
The two groups clashed but no casualties were reported.
Gomna told The National that he had asked the police in Kundiawa to conduct a full investigation into the incident.
Chimbu education adviser Essy Walkaima, who visited the school to assess the damage, supported the principal’s call.
“It is good to conduct a proper investigation to establish the real cause of the fire. Fortunately, no lives were lost,” he said.
Some of the students said they lost valuable personal items, including laptops’.
Gomna said the school administration and the Chuave district administration would provide mattresses, blankets and pillows to the 60 students affected. He said they would also be relocated to one of the newly-built student dormitories.
In addition to the new dormitories, the school also has new staff houses, classrooms, science laboratories, computer rooms and a new office building which were opened by the prime minister early this year.