WRIGHTSVILLE, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Department of Correction has dedicated a new memorial honoring 21 African American boys who died 60 years ago in a fire at a reform school.
The fire happened on the grounds of what is now the state's Wrightsville unit. On Thursday, the state dedicated the memorial for the "Wrightsville 21" that includes a metal plate with each of their names engraved on it.
The blaze ignited on March 5, 1959, while the boys were locked in their dormitory at the school in rural Pulaski County. Officials say 48 managed to escape but 21 died in the fire.
Department of Correction spokesman Solomon Graves called the fire a tragedy that "should have never happened." More than two dozen family members of the victims attended Thursday's ceremony.