A prison fire in Honduras caused more than 300 deaths. Reports say that fire was initiated on Tuesday night by an inmate by burning the mattress. The jail is overcrowded at the time of the incident. Some died in the cells due to burns and or suffocation before they could be freed. More than 475 escaped. Delayed justice is shown as the reason for overcrowding of prisons in the country. It is stated that some inmates escaped by pushing roof panels.
Though the fire started by burning mattress, it is not clear how it could have spread without presence of combustibles in the entire prison in continuity. Else, fire could have been limited to the cell in which it was initiated. This shows lack of monitoring by jail staff or there could have been some help within. It is also not clear whether any fire detection and sprinkler system is available in all cells which is required as per NFPA for residential and commercial buildings.