(CNS): A prison officer has launched legal action against the Cayman Islands Government, alleging that chronic fire risks and inadequate safety measures at HMP Northward left him seriously injured during a blaze inside the High Risk Unit (HRU).
The writ, filed in Grand Court this week, paints a grim picture of a facility where fires are not rare accidents but recurring hazards in an ageing, poorly ventilated building, long acknowledged to be unfit for purpose. According to the claim, Dennis Tolentino Oli was working a double shift on 21 November 2023 when thick black smoke began pouring from Cell 23.
With no proper breathing apparatus and only a basic face mask, he entered the smoke-filled corridor to try to extinguish the fire and reach the inmate inside. With visibility eliminated by smoke, he became disoriented and struggled to breathe, and eventually had to feel his way out along the cell grilles.
He later returned to help evacuate prisoners, despite the lack of ventilation and the dense smoke that had engulfed the unit. “There was no effective ventilation and/or smoke extraction within the HRU capable of clearing the dense smoke,” the writ states. Oli was hospitalised for two days with acute smoke inhalation, chest pain and haemoptysis, and later developed PTSD.
The writ says this was not an isolated incident, as he had already encountered two previous fire-related events at the prison. The lawsuit accuses the government of failing to provide adequate respiratory protection, failing to maintain safe systems for responding to fires, and failing to address known fire risks despite repeated incidents.
“The Defendant… failed to take adequate steps to address the risk of fire and consequent smoke exposure notwithstanding previous fire incidents within the prison,” it alleges.
The case lands at a time when the government has finally begun the slow process of planning a new prison, acknowledging years of warnings about Northward’s deteriorating infrastructure, overcrowding and safety failures.
Successive reports have highlighted fire hazards, ventilation problems and outdated facilities, yet progress toward a replacement has been sluggish, with funding and design work still in early stages.
This lawsuit underscores the human cost of that delay: not just inmates living in unsafe conditions, but frontline officers being asked to manage emergencies without the equipment or systems they need.
Oli remains on restricted duties and continues to undergo medical and psychological treatment. He is seeking damages for personal injury, loss of amenity and future expenses, but has not detailed a specific amount.