By Canadian Press

Guatemala judge convicts 6 ex-officials in deaths of 41 girls in 2017 fire at state facility

Aug 12, 2025 | 1:02 PM

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A Guatemalan judge convicted six people of various crimes Tuesday in relation with the deaths of 41 girls in a 2017 fire at a facility for at-risk youth that had a history of abuse.

They had all declared their innocence Tuesday. Judge Ingrid Cifuentes handed down sentences of six years to 25 years for charges ranging from manslaughter to abuse of authority. She also ordered the investigation of former President Jimmy Morales for his role in ordering police to work at a facility where minors who had not committed crimes were held.

Prosecutors had earlier requested sentences up to 131 years for some of those convicted, who were all former government workers, including several whose duties included protecting children.

On March 8, 2017, a girl at the Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home 14 miles east of Guatemala City, lit a foam mattress on fire in the room where a group of girls had been locked up for hours without access to a bathroom. Smoke and flames quickly filled the room killing 41 girls and injuring 15.

About 700 children — nobody knew exactly how many — lived in a home with a maximum capacity for 500. The majority had committed no crime. They were sent there by the courts for various reasons — they had run away, they were abused, they were migrants.

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The night before the fire, a group of girls had escaped. Hours later, the police returned them to the home. They were locked in a room that had no access to a bathroom and guarded by police. They were given foam mattresses to sleep on.

After demanding for hours to be let out, a girl lit a mattress that quickly filled the room with smoke. Forty-one girls died and 15 others suffered burns but survived.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Sonia Pérez D., The Associated Press