A fire, suspected to be an act of arson, gutted the Sachi Superstore on Regent Street, Georgetown yesterday morning, leaving the owners counting huge losses and almost two dozen employees contemplating their next move.
The fire started around 2.30 am yesterday and quickly ripped through the three-storey concrete building, which is located at Lot 136 Regent Street.
The building was being rented to Chinese nationals, who operated a variety store on the ground floor. Nothing was saved.
A cell phone store, RW Mobiles, which was situated on the western side of the building, was also destroyed.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle yesterday told Stabroek News that the Guyana Fire Service received several calls yesterday morning through its emergency hotline alerting them about the fire.
As a result, he said a number of fire tenders were dispatched. Upon arrival, Gentle said, firefighters noticed that the lower flat of the building was already engulfed and the fire had already spread to the middle flat.
He said in an effort to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, additional resources were mobilised. A fire hydrant in the vicinity was also activated.
“…When they got here they realised that this fire had already moved to the two floors of the building and therefore we had to go to defensive tactics to contain this fire,” Gentle said.
He explained that the main concern was the nearby buildings. “Our main concern was the buildings east, west, north and south of this building and, in particular, we are aware that just down the road, two buildings away, is a large gas station,” he noted.
Gentle said the plan “worked well” and the firefighters were able to contain the fire after about two hours.
Up to yesterday afternoon, firefighters and the police remained at the scene as they continued their investigation.
Gentle explained that a preliminary investigation suggested arson.
He said investigators have since discovered several items and evidence which revealed that person/s might have gained access to the building shortly before the fire started. “Investigators have uncovered some evidence that points into the direction of arson. They found things like welding torches, cutting torches, crow bars, drills and other implements that can only be used to break into a building and also some grills were cut from the back and some security features were damaged… it basically suggest that person/s would have gained entry into the building. After then the fire would have started,” Gentle explained.
When Stabroek News visited the scene hours after the blaze, firefighters and heavily armed police officers were still present. The area was also cordoned off and the section of Regent Street between Camp Street and Wellington Street was closed to vehicular traffic.
Some employees rushed to the scene upon learning of the fire, while others turned up for work only to be greeted with the tragic news.
The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) was also summoned and electricity was disconnected to sections of Region Street. As a result, several stores were unable to open as usual for business yesterday morning.
However, after power was restored, a number of them opened later than usual, while others, including Dhoray’s Fashion and Royal Jewel House remained closed for the day.
The owner of the building was present at the scene but refused to comment.
Fa Sen, the Chinese national who operated the store on the lower flat of the building, was unable to estimate his loss.
He told reporters that his store was fully stocked and everything was destroyed.
Latisha Gittens, a sales clerk, said that she and her colleagues planned to support him. “Right now we all plan to stay behind our boss and we will move on from there,” Gittens said.
Gittens and a number of her colleagues remained at the scene up to late yesterday afternoon as they assisted in clearing the debris.
It remains unclear whether the building was insured.
