Four stores in three buildings on the northern side of Regent Street between Camp and Alexander streets were gutted by fire this morning leaving millions of dollars in damage and the owner of one them collapsed at the scene and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Four Chinese citizens were also dramatically rescued from one of the burning buildings by firemen.
Hours after the 5 am fire started, Indra’s Fashion, Boyo’s Fashion, and a duplex owned by Clairan’s, were reduced to smothering ashes. The owner of Indra’s Fashion, Ramdat Shiwprasad, 65, collapsed at the scene and was pronounced dead at the hospital after he apparently suffered a heart attack. The Clairan’s duplex contained Classic Styles and a store selling Chinese items and clothing. The owner of the Chinese store has been hospitalised as a result of smoke inhalation. The Lucky Dollar furniture store to the west of Indra’s was also badly damaged by the fire.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told Stabroek News at the scene that he received word of the fire sometime around 5:15 am and that fire-fighters responded promptly. The fire is reported to have started in the Clairan’s-owned building, a part of which was sublet to a Chinese national
Gentle’s statement differed from that of eyewitness and owners of the stores who criticized the fire service for the delay in arrival saying that calls were made for over 20 minutes to the fire service and 911 to no avail.
Balram Shiwprasad, son of the dead Ramdat Shiwprasad, expressed anger and frustration at what he called the slothful and lax attitude of the fire service. He said that it was only after calls were made to the Mekdeci Mining Company Security Service (MMC) that fire-fighters responded.
“The firemen tek a beating this morning, I looked out saw the fire and was calling these people over and over for over twenty minutes. I am so serious, the 911 number rang out and just kept ringing out that I began crying knowing our fate”, he said.
He said it was at this point that he began evacuating his elderly parents and it was then his father collapsed from a heart attack. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His wife, well-known businesswoman Indra Shiwprashad said that the fire possibly seemed déjà vu for her husband and it was from the unpleasant memories he suddenly dropped dead. The inconsolable woman through sobs noted that the family’s business was one of several that had been ravaged by fire many years ago when a fire had started in the then well-known Yassin’s fabric store.
The Fire Chief said that he will investigate reports that the owner’s of Indra’s Fashions tried to contact the fire service earlier. Asked why Indra’s Fashion was not saved given that the fire consumed two other buildings before spreading to that business, Gentle said “That was too much. The fire was coming from the east going to the west. There was a wall of fire. You could not have stopped that until you get a solid building like this.” He said the other buildings were old and wooden and were quickly consumed by the blaze.
Asked about setbacks faced by his fire-fighters, Gentle said that he could not comment at the time but stated that water was not an issue as he had ample supplies from canals and did not depend on nearby hydrants. “I operate with the absence of hydrants I don’t even think about hydrants”, he said. Hydrants have not been functioning for several decades.
One of the fire-fighters on the scene told this newspaper that a difficulty faced by the firemen was getting into the heavily grilled and shuttered buildings. Three other Chinese nationals with the owner of the Chinese store housed in the Clairan’s building were rescued. The fire-fighter was alarmed at the store owner’s response when rescued. “The Chinese from that store was trapped yet he turned back for his money, it’s a good thing we heard them banging. When we opened and found him he was bleeding but de man still keep holding on to this bag with money…we took him out to take him to the hospital (and) he kept saying he ain’t leaving he money and just would not loose.”
The Fire Chief said “One of the fire-fighters approached and heard knocking on the shutters and they used equipment to pry the shutters open. When they cut it open, they found four Chinese nationals trapped in the building. They had to cut the glass, break the grills and get them out.”
After the fire was brought under control, a cellular phone and accessory dealer who leases a booth in the Indra’s Fashion building was adamant that his structure not be broken open by fire-fighters. However in his presence they used the Jaws of Life tool and cut the shutters, allowing him to retrieve suitcases with cell phones and other electronic gadgets.
Some of the salespersons for the stores turned up for work at around 8am only to be greeted by rubble. They could be seen with tears in their eyes contemplating their next move. One of the workers at the Chinese store informed that she is the sole breadwinner for herself and two children. Requesting that her photo and name be withheld she said “It is not the best of work but it brings in a dollar and I can take care of my children. It is hard because school will soon open and I haven’t gotten everything yet…as I get paid I buy and put down“, she said.
It is estimated that around 30 persons are now jobless as a result of the fire.
