Less than a year after it was opened, the Al-Aziz Splash Inc fruit juice factory was late Thursday night gutted by a fire set by three men who invaded the premises and also set the lone guard on duty alight.
Fifteen persons are now out of jobs as a result of the fire, which destroyed the factory at Lot 13, L’Esperance, Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara. The incident occurred at around 11pm on Thursday. Security guard, Wazir Khan, 17, of Leonora, West Coast Demerara sustained burns to his back and was treated at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. It was the third attempt to set the factory alight, residents said.
Owner of the factory Abdul Aziz told Stabroek News that neighbours alerted him to the fire but by the time he arrived they were unable to save anything. ‘The fire reduce everything to rubble,” he said.
Aziz explained that Khan reported that he heard a noise and, upon investigating, was confronted by three men, who held him at gunpoint. The men demanded money but Khan said that he did not have any and they tied him up. “They ask he for money and he say he is a watchman and he ain’t get no money there,” Aziz said. “They tie he hand between he feet and they strap he mouth.”
The men also hit Khan in the face with the gun. According to Aziz, the men walked with kerosene, which they splashed on the building and on Khan. They then set the building and him on fire. Khan sustained burns to his back. He rolled on the ground to out the flames on his back. Neighbours rescued him after his cries. Aziz said that he kept no kerosene or gasoline on the premises. He estimated his losses in the millions.
Residents said that when the fire service arrived, the building was almost completely gutted. They said that when the truck came it had no water and some difficulties were encountered with the pump and it did not start immediately. They also said that about two weeks ago, there was an attempt to enter the place by some men but, after they were noticed, they ran away. Last September too, this newspaper was told, a burning mattress was dragged onto the premises in what had appeared to be an attempt to set it alight.
The factory opened its door last July and Aziz, who had returned to Guyana from Barbados to invest in the project, had said at the time that the new facility would have seen some 50 persons being offered employment opportunities by October of last year. He had said that his love for making juices inspired him to develop ideas he had over the years.
A qualified civil engineer, Aziz had said the entire operation, worth several million Guyana dollars, was set up by him in March last year and he was provided with support by the authorities, particularly Go-Invest and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC). He had said that he was eyeing overseas markets, particularly Barbados. The facility, which was equipped with a well, mixers and a moulding plant to bottle the products, operated thrice-weekly based on the supply of fresh fruits.
Meantime, at Khan’s home in Leonora yesterday, his grandmother Bibi Mariam Khan said that her grandson only started working at the factory a few weeks ago.
The woman, who is in ill-health, said that he supported her and his seven-year-old niece.
“He ah buy everything foh she to go to school,” she said, noting that for this year she has been unable to get her pension book. Bibi said that they were also trying to raise money to post bail for his brother who is imprisoned.
In their home, which is falling apart, the 67-year-old woman explained that Khan stopped attending school two years ago after he was bitten by a snake. Shedding a few tears, Bibi said that Khan only worked at nights and had expected to be paid this week. She said that he related to her that when the men came, they told him not to holler and then set the building and him alight.
