Abraham Fraijo labels a photograph with the name of his daughter Emilia, who he says was 3-years, three months, and 14 days old when she was killed along with 48 other children in a fire at the ABC daycare center, as family members mark the 10-year-anniversary of the tragedy in Mexico City, Wednesday, June 5, 2019. A handful of parents and relatives gathered to install bronze replicas of the children's shoes at a protest monument which stands in front of the government agency that oversaw the daycare. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Mexico marks 10th anniversary of fire that killed 49 kids

MEXICO CITY – Mexico flew flags at half-staff Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of a fire at a day care centre in which 49 children died.

The federal government announced emergency drills were carried out at 1,416 government day care centres at 10:00 a.m., more or less the time the fire broke out in the northern city of Hermosillo on June 5, 2009.

Investigators determined that an overheated cooling unit started a fire at a state government warehouse and it spread to the roof of the neighbouring school.

Numerous safety violations were documented at the centre. Witnesses testified that flaming pieces of tarp rained down on the children as people fled through the smoke to the one functioning exit.

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