Faulty fire hydrants in New Amsterdam are said to be the reason for the fire service not accessing enough water to put out the blaze at Charlotte Street last Saturday in which four persons perished.
According to sources, 46 new hydrants had been installed around New Amsterdam within recent times but they are reportedly non-functional; water can only be access from some of the hydrant pits.
Reports are that the contractors did a poor job during the installation of the emergency pipes which has never been corrected. The Guyana Water Inc (GWI) was expected to hold a meeting with officials from the New Amsterdam Fire Service “to point out which hydrant pits to use.”
This newspaper learnt that the problem with the faulty hydrants also exists in Georgetown and fire-fighters are sometimes forced to resort to the old systems.
The fire ripped through the two-flat wooden and concrete house around 1:40 am leaving the owner of Persaud’s Funeral Home, Ivor Persaud, 63; his wife Patsy Persaud, 60 and their grandchildren, Melissa, 9, and five-year-old Armand, dead. They were cremated at the Babu John Crematorium on Friday.
Post-mortem examinations performed on their charred remains proved that they died from smoke inhalation.
Reports are that they had been sleeping in a sealed bedroom with an air-conditioning unit on and may not have been aware of the fire until it was too late.
The family’s five pet dogs were also burnt to death. One of the dogs was said to be in the upper flat of the heavily-grilled house, while the four others were in the concrete bottom-flat.
Persons said that the New Amsterdam fire tender arrived around 2:03 am and was assisted by tenders from the Rose Hall and Albion estates in containing the blaze.
The cause of the fire is still unknown as investigations have not yet been completed.
Persons had said there are suspicions that the fire might have been of electrical origin although this claim was denied by the Guyana Power and Light Inc.
Reports are that the first fire tender arrived at the scene around 2:03 am and started to douse the building but the water in its tank was exhausted shortly after.
As is the procedure, the fire service had informed the GWI about the inferno but sources from the fire department told Stabroek News that the water was not turned on in a timely manner.
Efforts made to elicit a comment from officials from GWI proved futile.
According to reports, GWI had also informed the fire fighters that “it would take some time before the water gets to the main.” Efforts were made to access water from the hydrant at the corner of Charlotte Street and Strand but none was available.
Water had to be taken instead from the hydrant pit but that supply also lasted for a short time.
This newspaper learnt that water then had to be sourced from the Republic Road canal. However that canal was clogged with thick vegetation and that posed a difficulty in getting the commodity.
Persons had commented that despite all these challenges, the fire service still managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to two wooden buildings that were in proximity. The buildings were just scorched.
Police sources who were present had pointed out that “the hydrant was within reach but the water ran out and fire fighters had to detour to another hydrant, dislodge the hose and reconnect” while the building continued to burn.
This newspaper was told that the main had to be broken and it was not until after 3 am that water was accessed and the building was doused again. However the fire department vehemently denied this claim.
Contrary to claims that the fire service was not properly equipped to deal with fires, sources said, adequate equipment was available to break into the house but fire fighters could do nothing to save the lives of the four persons.
They said that by the time they received the call about the fire from the Guyana Defence Force, the entire building was already engulfed.
Eyewitnesses said the couple’s son, Anil Persaud, father of Melissa and Armand tried desperately to break into the house to save them but was prevented from doing so by the intense heat.
The children – students of St Therese Primary School – lived with their parents, Anil and Sherry two doors away but were very attached to their grandparents.
Sherry had told this newspaper that on Friday after school the children had gone over to spend the weekend with their grandparents.
