East
Timor: Fire destroys Dili prison administration, blaze appears
accidental
Dili, Jan.
20 (Lusa) - A big fire destroyed the administrative building
of suburban Dili's Becora prison, the country's largest, Monday and
officials said initial investigations indicated the blaze had started
accidentally.
There were no reports of injuries.
Officials
told Lusa no prisoner had attempted to escape during the fire
and there had been no need to evacuate inmates.
Most prison records had been saved, they said.
Timorese and UN police and soldiers re-inforced guard around the prison.
An official
close to the investigations told Lusa preliminary reports
indicated the fire had begun "accidentally", perhaps by a carelessly
put
out cigarette.
In a communique
the UN mission said the fire began in a storage area of
the administrative building where mattresses, pesticides and fuel had
been kept.
At the government's
request, the UN mission, UNMISET, said it would
immediately revamp visiting areas to serve the prison administration.