A fire that killed 19 girls at a home for abused teens in Guatemala on Wednesday started when some residents set mattresses ablaze, police said, after an overnight riot and attempt to escape from the overcrowded government-run centre. Nery Ramos, the head of Guatemala's national police, confirmed that 19 girls had died. "This is a painful situation," Ramos said, adding that the fire started when a group of young people set light to sleeping mats. Plagued by Latin America's highest rates of child malnutrition and street gangs which often prey on minors, Guatemala can be a traumatic place to grow up. Andrea Palomo told reporters in tears that she had brought her 15-year-old son to the home to discipline him.

Source: CBC News March 08, 2017 21:33 UTC