A fire on Tuesday, October 13, destroyed Le Grand Collège Évangélique and partly damaged a second school, the Betheda Educational Institution. Together the two schools can hold about 500 students, the news site HaitiLibre reported.

According to initial reports, a lit candle left on the floor of a neighboring house may have started the fire. Investigators have yet to confirm the cause.

The loss comes barely a month into a school year that opened on September 7, at a time when thousands of students have already lost classrooms to gang violence and to schools turned into shelters for displaced families. Never leave candles or oil lamps burning unattended, especially during power cuts.