Screaming in terror: teen survivor relives ordeal of Guatemala childrens shelter fire

[Judi Lynn]

Eight months after the fire that killed 41 girls locked in a room at an orphanage in San José Pinula, memories of the tragedy continue to haunt those seeking justice
Liz Ford in Guatemala City
@lizfordguardian
Wednesday 22 November 2017 05.43 EST

There was so much smoke that Estefani Sotoj Hernández couldn’t see anything. But she could hear the screams as girls struggled to escape the flames that engulfed the Virgen de la Asunción children’s home.

“[The fire] was really small at first, and then it got really big and there was so much smoke,” says Estefani. “I was very afraid. Everybody was screaming in terror. You couldn’t tell what was happening to your body. It was really hot and many [of the girls] lost consciousness, others were burning.”

Sitting in a hotel in Guatemala City last month, dressed in black leggings and a grey hoodie pulled close to cover her scars, the 15-year-old recounts the night in March when a fire at the government-run children’s shelter in San José Pinula, about 15 miles from the capital, killed 41 girls.

It emerged that 56 girls had been locked inside a room measuring 6.8 metres by 7 metres as punishment for organising a protest the day before against cramped conditions and abuse by staff. More than 700 children lived at the home, which had capacity for 400-500.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/nov/22/screaming-terror-teen-survivor-guatemala-childrens-shelter-fire