Fire destroys village school; looks like arson

Police are looking for a suspected arsonist who torched a school building in the Toledo district over the weekend. Around two on Sunday morning, villagers of the Bladen community woke up to the smell of smoke and when they looked outside, they were horrified to see four classrooms of the Fabian Cayetano R.C. School engulfed in flames. When Independence police arrived, the structure was still on fire but there was little they could do to extinguish the blaze as the nearest creek was some distance away. Today investigators examined the charred remains of the thatch and wooden building but cops strongly suspect arson. There is no electricity to the school so there could be no short circuit, no combustible materials were inside, and most importantly, someone had threatened to burn down the building only hours before. According to police, villagers reported that during a school meeting on Saturday evening, discussions regarding changes in the makeup of the Parent Teachers Association deteriorated to the point that one resident jumped up and shouted the threat. That man is now the prime suspect in the case but up to news time he had yet to be detained for questioning. According to Catholic Management, one hundred and fifty students currently attend Fabian Cayetano R.C. The affected classes are standard two, three and four. If you would like to assist the institution, please contact Sacred Heart Parish in Dangriga at 522-2025.