Reconstruction is a must for businessman Brain Gamell whose four properties were destroyed by a massive fire in Port Kaituma two weeks ago.
It was reported by Stabroek News that four buildings, including a fuel bond, belonging to Brian Gamell were destroyed after a fire, suspected to be arson, erupted in the wee hours of November 15, at Turn Basin, Port Kaituma, North West District.
The businessman on Saturday told Stabroek News that the damage caused by the fire has amounted to a sum which is in excess of $31 million, and it has now forced him and his family to start over from scratch since they lost practically everything in the fire.
“Our house burn all the way down to the ground that day. I lost personal documents, clothes, trucks; my children lost their text books, passports,” Gamell explained.
He further explained that since the incident, he and his family have since relocated to Mabaruma and are currently staying with relatives while they contemplate their next step. One thing for sure Gamell said, was that he will be looking to reconstruct his home and business in Port Kaituma, as he had already built a life for himself and family there, since moving to Port Kaituma from Mabaruma in 2007.
“I have to build back because if I don’t, nobody is going to build back for me. My children have their lives there, they go to school there and I had my trucking business there, so I have to rebuild,” the businessman shared.
In the meantime, Gamell stated that though he understands that the investigations into the suspected arson will take some time and he is hopeful that the perpetrators will be caught.
When asked if he suspects anyone in particular for the arson, the businessman stated that there have been rumours going around since the incident, but he cannot think of anyone who would want to do something like that to him.
Initial reports reaching this newspaper stated that an alarm was raised just around 4:30 am on the morning of November 15th, after the first fire broke out at a building which was used as a fuel bond.
Gamell has since clarified that the building which housed the fuel bond was his own, but that the holdings in the bond belonged to his brother, who focuses more on the fuel aspect of the business, while his priority up until the fire had been his trucking service.
It was noted that another fire had erupted at the businessman’s home almost simultaneously, and had quickly spread to two other buildings, another business and a residence. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident, as they all managed to escape from the burning building.
According to the businessman, there was no way the fire could have been electrical in origin, since there was no flow of electricity to the bond, as well as the fact that he claims to have heard voices outside the area just before hearing an explosion.
Gamell has since confirmed that the police have taken statements from them and that an investigator from the Guyana Fire Service has visited the site.
