The burnt-out room at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre in St Ann. – Contributed

A forensic expert has confirmed that tear gas was used at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre on the night of the May 22 fire that left seven wards of the State dead.

Retired chief forensic officer Fitzmore Coates yesterday told the commission of enquiry into the deadly fire that after testing eight samples that were taken from the burnt-out room, he found residue, which was a constituent of tear gas. He said there were also components that were a result of the breakdown of tear gas.

The forensic expert indicated that the residue found was from a chloroacetophenone (CN) tear-gas canister.

He said when the tests were conducted, components of the chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CS) tear-gas handball grenade (the type that a policeman was said to have carried to Armadale) were not present. While Coates maintained that at least one tear-gas canister had been thrown into the room, he ruled out the possibility of the fire having started as a result.

According to Coates, the tear gas created a crater in the floor, which was three to four centimetres deep and about 30 centimetres wide. While the tear-gas canister could have caused sparks, Coates said it was not likely to have been enough to start a fire.

Additionally, Coates said traces of gasolene were found on partially burnt clothing and a burnt Bible.

Coates told the enquiry that based on his investigations on May 23 and 24, the fire was caused by the ignition of an accelerant, such as gasolene.

While Coates is an expert in forensics, he made sure to point out that he was no expert in tear gas.

Earlier in the enquiry, girls had said a policeman had thrown an object into the building - believed to be a tear-gas canister - which started the fire.

The policeman refuted the claim.

The enquiry resumes on Monday at the National Volunteer Centre in St Andrew when district officer Patrick Robinson and detective sergeant Michael Thomas are scheduled to testify.

kimesha.walters@gleanerjm.com