A fire, suspected to be an act of arson, last night destroyed a section of the Midtown hotel, restaurant and bar located at Middle Street, Georgetown.
Stabroek News understands that the fire started around 6pm at Lot 176 Middle Street, Georgetown. The building is owned by former Government Minister Cathy Hughes and her husband, attorney Nigel Hughes. It previously housed the Sidewalk Café.
At the time of the fire, no one was reportedly inside the building. Four rooms and parts of the ceiling were destroyed.
Midtown was operated by businessman Larry Singh.
A quick response by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told reporters at the scene that that GFS received a call from residents who noticed smoke coming from the upper flat of the building.
He said firefighters responded and were able to quickly control the fire.
According to Gentle, the cause of the fire remains unknown. “We still don’t know what has caused this fire but we are working along now with the police to ensure that we do a thorough investigation,” he said.
However, a source told Stabroek News that arson is suspected.
According to the source, several items including matches were found at the scene.
