Students escape death after an inferno burned down their dormitory

Dalzan Secondary School dormitory in Arusha burned

NEARLY 142 students of Dalzan Secondary School in Arusha Region escaped unhurt after an inferno that burned down their dormitory on Sunday evening.

The fire is believed to have started at around 7.30pm at the main switch, burning down the whole dormitory with the students' properties, including clothes, suitcases, books and cash. The incident took place when the students were in the dining hall. No one was injured.

Five students who were in the illfated dormitory during the incident suffered minor injuries and shock. They were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment and later discharged.

Arusha Regional Education Officer, Mr Nestrory Mloka, said the school owned by the Roman Catholic Church has 142 students.

Mr Mloka explained that when the incident happened there were 67 bags of 100kgs of rice in the schools stores, 20 bags of maize, 10 bags of beans and 150 kgs of sugar, which were all destroyed by fire.

Following the disaster, the school's management called for an emergency board meeting yesterday to discuss the incident and steps to be taken to ensure the students continue with their studies. This is a first incident to occur at the school which has form one up to form four.