School in Sohe loses male dormitory, staff house in fire

A DOUBLE-storey dormitory for males and a staff house burnt down at Martyr’s Memorial Secondary School in the Sohe district of Northern yesterday afternoon.
The Anglican school built by early missionaries like most of the church schools, was razed quickly, witnesses said.
Witness Eliot Duang, who is an IT specialist at the school, said the fire started from the chaplain’s house and spread on to the close-by dormitory.
“School chaplain Fr Richard Sawaraba’s daughter was the only one sleeping inside the house when the fire started,” Duang said.
“It was so lucky that bystanders saw the smoke and called out. She responded and woke up. They then broke in through the windows and rescued her since the front door was in flame and smoke.”
He said the chaplain and his family lost everything in the fire.
“The causes of the fire is still unknown and the police with the help of school administration and church agency representatives are investigating the cause.
“You can’t assume that the cause was an electrical fault because the school was using a generator and by that time the generator was put off.”
Provincial police commander Michael Welly said investigations would be made.
Principal Jesse Jim said the incident was unfortunate for the school as the students were about to sit for their mock examinations.
“The school will be suspended just for the weekend for the administration to look for possible means to relocate the students to other dormitories,” he said.
Jim said normal classes will resumed Monday.