Mexico Busts 7 Officials in Daycare Fire

Officials accused of negligence in blaze that killed 47 children
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2009 5:37 AM CDT
Mexico Busts 7 Officials in Daycare Fire
Mourners light candles and leave gifts at a vigil earlier this month at the Catedral Metropolitana in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, for the children who died in a daycare fire.   (AP Photo/Eleazar Escobar - Expreso)

Mexico has charged seven officials with negligent homicide in a fire that killed 47 babies and toddlers in a daycare center earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reports. The officials in Sonora state were responsible for the storage of tires, cars, and paperwork in a warehouse in the same building as the nursery, where the fire began and quickly spread.

The warehouse lacked any fire extinguishers, and desperate rescuers had to knock holes in the walls of the building as fire engulfed it. "The question is why was the warehouse allowed to function as a nursery?" Sonora's governor said at a news conference. "It clearly lacked the necessary security measures, and didn't have any emergency doors." Arrest warrants have been issued for six other officials.
(More Mexico stories.)

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