For the second time in eight months, fire of unknown origin gutted a section of the Guyana National Industrial Company (GNIC) complex on Lombard Street yesterday, raising concerns from the company’s management who believe that “something is definitely wrong.”
When this newspaper arrived on the scene yesterday the upper flats of two buildings including a former Guyana Marketing Corporation facility, were already in flames.
On February 27 this year a fire at the complex resulted in five buildings being scorched while two abandoned buildings sustained substantial damage.
The two buildings damaged yesterday stand in a line of about four others which are no longer utilized by the company.
Yesterday’s fire which began at around 1 pm raged as firemen worked feverishly to quell the blaze which was mainly contained in the first building but then quickly spread to the other.
The upper flat of the first building was completely destroyed but the damage to the other building seemed less substantial.
Two fire tenders were used and water was accessed from the Sussex Street canal.
The firemen worked for over an hour to contain the blaze which sent waves of thick, pungent smoke into the air as dozens of onlookers ran to the scene.
GNIC employees also came out of their offices in the initial stages and were shocked at the blaze.
One employee told this newspaper that he was in another building close by and saw the red flames and he and others raised an alarm.
Firemen wrestled with a large hose which also sent some inspectors scampering for cover as the water pressure caused it to `dance’ in the middle of the street.
However the officers fought successfully even as water escaped from the many holes in the hose and they were finally able to control it and train it on the burning buildings.
GNIC Chief Executive Officer Clinton Williams expressed concern that the company had suffered another fire in such a short time.
“I am extremely concerned because the origin of the first fire cannot even be traced as yet and now this one… It has only been a couple of months and whether the building is old or new, something is definitely wrong, I cannot figure what it is,” he stated.
Williams said he was at home when he got the call at about 1:20 pm informing him that the building was on fire.
He said he had no idea what may have caused the fire but expressed his concern.
According to Williams, the buildings were still being used for many of the company’s activities such as accommodation for some of its offices and also its machine shop.
He told reporters too that he received no information about any employee being injured.
The damage has not yet been assessed and Williams did not reveal what was inside the buildings.
Stabroek News contacted Fire Chief Lawrence David for a comment hours after the fire and he indicated that he was in a meeting and hadn’t received a brief on the fire and requested that he be contacted an hour later.
This newspaper made several calls thereafter to his mobile phone up to about 6:45 last evening, all those calls went unanswered.
Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn, Director of Maritime Administration Ivor English and Head of the Privatization Unit Winston Brassington were also on the scene yesterday.
Benn explained that a ship was in the dry dock north of the fire and so when he and English heard of the fire they rushed down. “
