Qualla: 2017 Guatemala Orphanage Fire

2017 Guatemala Orphanage Fire: Introduction

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The girls had been protesting. On March 7, 2017, residents of the Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala - a state institution for abandoned, orphaned, and at-risk children about 25 kilometers from Guatemala City - rioted against the conditions they lived under: abuse, rape, overcrowding. About 85 residents escaped into the surrounding woods. Most were captured by police and returned. President Jimmy Morales was informed that evening. He directed staff to keep the escapees separate from other residents. At 1:00 a.m. on March 8, the boys were sent to their dormitories. The girls - 41 of them, aged 14 to 17 - were locked in a schoolroom. A fire broke out. None of them could get out. All forty-one died.

2017 Guatemala Orphanage Fire: A Home That Was Never Safe

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home was built in 2010 to house children the state had taken responsibility for: orphans, children with disabilities, children rescued from abuse and forced prostitution, those with nowhere else to go after completing juvenile sentences. The name pr...

2017 Guatemala Orphanage Fire: The Day the Doors Stayed Locked

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The riot began around 2:00 p.m. on March 7, when a group of adolescents climbed onto the roof and confronted guards with metal objects. In the chaos, dozens fled into the woods surrounding the facility. Police recaptured most of them. The decision about what to do with the return...

2017 Guatemala Orphanage Fire: Grief and Fury

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On March 11, hundreds of people filled the streets of Guatemala City. Protesters read the names and ages of each girl who died. They chanted 'it was the state' and 'it wasn't an accident, it was an execution.' The anger was directed not just at the fire but at the systemic failur...

2017 Guatemala Orphanage Fire: Accountability, Slowly

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On March 13, 2017, authorities arrested former Secretary Carlos Rodas, former Deputy Secretary Anahi Keller, and former facility director Santos Torres. The charges included wrongful death, mistreatment of minors, and negligence. In June 2017, two police officers were also charge...