Shortly after 8:30 last night, fire destroyed the 136 Regent Street Singh’s Store and a tent in the lot next door which formerly housed the Sachi building which was ravaged by fire in February of this year.
Fire-fighters’ efforts were hindered after losing vital time in clearing garbage which covered a nearby fire hydrant but they were able to extinguish and contain the blaze to the one building although other stores such as the Royal Jewel House and Perfume Dazzle to the east and Harvey’s Electrical and Dhoray’s to the west were in close proximity.
Eyewitness accounts varied as one person told this newspaper that the fire started following an explosion while another said that vagrants were burning garbage at the side of the Sachi empty lot and it may have gotten out of control.
“We were working and heard an explosion and someone said there was a fire at Sachi and we should all leave the gas station,” a Guyoil employee told the Stabroek News.
“I understand that is the fire them homeless light by Sachi that start it. To me is by Sachi the thing start”, a nearby security officer said.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle said that reports are that the fire started in the Sachi lot and engulfed the Singh’s Store which Samtronix Mobile occupied.
“We have to follow up on information that we got from the callers as to where was the point of origin of this fire and then the investigation will follow that lead,” he told reporters at the scene.
“We went into very aggressive fire-fighting to prevent this fire from spreading. We were confronted again with the winds and also we had some difficulties. We located one hydrant and the other hydrant, we had to do some debris clearing,” he added
Fire-fighters battled the flames, pausing at intervals after loud explosions were heard and at one time when the walls of the building crumbled under the blaze. Four fire tenders arrived at the scene within minutes and immediately got to work.
Fire-fighters had to be directed by persons to the hydrant as a large pile of garbage covered it. They swiftly raced to clear the area and attach the hose from that hydrant to join their colleagues in extinguishing the fire.
Hailed
Their efforts were hailed by Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn who rushed to the scene, having also received the call around the same time as the Fire Chief.
“I’m satisfied that a great effort has been made by the fire service and also by the police in keeping control of the area,” he told reporters.
Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine lamented the dumping of garbage by persons and said that the covering of the hydrant was “not something new”. He said that since last year he had written then Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan for assistance to the City Council in having the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) accompany them to locate and clean all hydrants.
Narine said his correspondence was seemingly set aside as he received no word and oral follow ups also proved futile.
He is again making a pitch to Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall and the GFS for assistance to help council complete the task.
For owner of SamTronix Mobile, Moeen Javid, his losses are in the millions and he has no insurance. He said that he was astonished at the huge blaze.
The businessman who also owns Safco Bollywood on Charlotte Street, where he sells Indian garments, said that he only opened his store some months ago.
“I am renting this store. I can’t say how much I lost,” Javid lamented. Family members tried comforting him as he stood in disbelief on Regent Street.
The owners of the garment store next to Samtronix did not want to speak to the press.
Sharafat Ali, the manager of the Singh’s Store building said he is suspicious and that maybe the fire started as a result of arson given that the nearby building was lost to a suspicious fire earlier this year.
According to the manager, there are huge losses, adding that just recently a new container brought additional gadgets, all of which went up in flames. “Loss? It’s too, too, too much loss,” lamented the man.
Meanwhile, Sharon Coates, a supervisor at Dhoray’s Shopping Centre said she was at home on the West Bank of Demerara when she got word of the fire. Coates was overheard anxiously enquiring whether Dhoray’s which is situated in the building next door was on fire also or whether it was scorched. Some items in the store would have suffered water damage. (Additional reporting by Joanna Dhanraj)
