Firefighters say 19 dead in fire at Guatemala children’s shelter
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Reporting from Guatemala City — At least 19 people have been found dead at the scene of a fire in a shelter for children near Guatemala City, the spokesman for Guatemala’s volunteer fire departments said Wednesday.
Mario Cruz told the Emisoras Unidas radio station that firefighters were still extinguishing parts of the morning blaze.
He said that so far 19 bodies had been found and about two dozen people were being treated for injuries.
The national police department said a total of 38 people had been injured. The country’s health minister said 14 were in serious condition.
Dr. Carlos Soto, director of the Roosevelt Hospital where some were being treated, said the most severe cases, all apparently girls, had suffered life-threatening burns.
The shelter had been criticized for overcrowding, alleged abuse and escapes in the past.
The prosecutor for children’s rights, Abner Paredes, said initial reports suggested the fire started when some started setting fire to mattresses in the shelter, known as the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home.
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UPDATES:
10:05 a.m.: This article was updated with more details about the fire and injuries.
This article was originally published at 8:55 a.m.
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