As Lethem residents restated the urgent need for a fire station in the growing border community, a fire service team arrived there yesterday to begin investigations into the Monday night destruction of Wayka’s store where the loss of stock alone has been estimated at around $200M.
The fire, whose origin has not yet been determined, destroyed the business complex, which comprised of a series of connected structures and housed a general store, a bond, and internet café as well as living quarters in the rear, where owner, Ann Ramsaran and her daughters lived. Millions in stock was lost and 15 persons were left without jobs.
Region Nine Chairman Clarindo Lucas said that the incident was troubling and he met with regional officials yesterday. “Our recommendation is that there needs to have a fire tender in Lethem,” he said. He added that the results of the investigations will inform what future decisions are made. Monday night, in lamenting the absence of a fire tender in Lethem, Lucas had said he had raised the matter with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds just last week during his visit to the community.
Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer Donald Ramsaywack floated the idea of a public-private partnership to establish a fire station in the community close to the border with Brazil. “Since 2006, we’ve been advocating for a fire station,” President of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Alfred Ramsaran told Stabroek News. He pointed out that only last week, they met with a team from the Private Sector Commission and it was one of the issues raised.
He also disclosed that last month they met with a representative from insurance company GTM on the issue and they were looking at how the Chamber could have assisted with the setting up of a fire service. He noted that they had asked if GTM could have lent support to the initiative.
Chairman of the local Neighbourhood Democratic Council Terrence Boston said that he has always been advocating for a fire station at various levels, based on the fact that Lethem is growing and there are now a number of commercial buildings. “There was always need for a fire station,” he said. Boston recalled writing the Ministry of Home Affairs on the issue but never receiving a response. He said that the NDC had long identified a spot for the station- close to the Police Station along the Takutu River. “In the event of a fire, we just have to stand and watch everything burn,” he said. He noted that Monday’s fire lends urgency to the situation.
Efforts to contact government officials for comment yesterday were futile as they were said to be at Cabinet. Mahdia was similarly without a fire station until a conflagration last year obliterated large sections of the community. Miners and others then came together to provide a fire-fighting facility.
Meantime, Mr. Ramsaran, who is the brother of Ann, said that the cause of the fire, which started at around 6:30pm on Monday, has not yet been determined. He said that his sister had closed the store and was tending to other activities, when she heard a “crackling” sound.
He said after the fire was detected, his sister panicked.
He noted that his store nearby had fire extinguishers which could have been used but they were forgotten in the general rush.
Among the items lost were 12 computers, two photocopying machines, and other electronic equipment which was being sold such as air conditioners as well as cellular phones, bicycles, clothing and footwear. He noted that they were targeting the Brazilian market and the large amount of clothing and footwear would have fuelled the flames.
Ramsaran said that although the police were there, they did not fully cordon off the area and there was some amount of looting of items like cellular phones. “People come in and just pick up stuff,” he said.
This newspaper was told that between 6:30pm to 7pm, the Lethem Power Company normally switched generators.
A smaller generator is used in the day, during the off-peak period, while a bigger one is switched on at nights to cope with the greater load. At the time of the fire, it was not clear whether the switch had been made but power was cut to the area after the fire.
Ramsaran said that the store buildings were insured to the tune of $20M but the stock inside, which he estimated was worth over $200M, was not.
Meanwhile, some residents had also raised the issue of the lack of a 24-hour supply of water through the pipelines.
The fire is the first of such a magnitude to hit the community, this newspaper was told.
