Chilean president Sebastian Pinera has vowed to reform the country’s prison system following the horrific blaze that left at least 81 people dead.
The fire on Wednesday at the San Miguel jail in Santiago broke out during a fight between rival gangs who set fire to mattresses, according to BBC News. The prison was said to be severely overcrowded, housing up to 1,900 prisoners when it was only designed to hold round 900.
The head of Chile’s association of prison employees, Pedro Hernandez, told the Washington Post that the fire might have been caused by portable stoves and flammable materials the inmates used to cook food. He said those items could have been used to make homemade flame-throwers.
The official cause of the fire is still being investigated.
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