Portions of the debris on the site of Hamson’s General Store on Regent Street which was gutted by fire late on Friday night were still smouldering early yesterday morning, while a pall of smoke hung over the entire area.
The Guyana Fire Service came under heavy criticism at the fire scene for not having enough water to quell the flames.
Asked about this yesterday Fire Chief Lawrence David said firefighting had been affected because sources for water had to be found.
He explained that the firemen had found it necessary to source water from the South Road and North Road canals and this had affected operations.
However, he said, once they had obtained a flow of water things had been brought under control.
When the Stabroek News reporter arrived on the scene on Friday night only thick smoke could be seen billowing from the building, but no flames.
However, the delay in getting access to the heavily grilled building and the time taken to source a sufficient quantity of water allowed the fire to grow in intensity so it became an inferno.
Employees from the store turned up at the scene yesterday and stared at the ruins while contemplating their future.
Some were dressed in clothing bearing the company’s name and they sat a few feet away from the wreckage in small groups speaking among themselves. Others could be seen giving statements to fire officials.
While it is not known what may have started the fire, the speculation is that it might have been electrical in nature. Stabroek News was unable to contact the owner of the store for a comment.
When Stabroek News arrived at the site yesterday, there were still funnels of smoke rising from the site and the general area was clouded with smoke.
Firemen were standing in the building training water hoses on the smouldering ruins.
They were still there conducting their investigations yesterday afternoon.
Regent Street between Oronoque and Albert was closed to traffic for most of the day.
Many curious onlookers flocked to the scene and several could be overheard saying that they would no longer be able to get materials at six in the afternoon or on Sundays, as this was the only hardware store that provided this service.
Around 11.15 pm on Friday persons near the store saw smoke emanating from the building and promptly informed the fire service.
A fire tender arrived on the scene shortly after the blaze had started and when the water supply was exhausted, firemen searched around to find alternative sources of water.
Paint and other combustibles inside the store helped to fuel the fire and several explosions were heard.
The store which has been in existence for many years sold hardware, building materials, cycle materials, electrical items, pipes and fittings, among other things.
