The origin of a fire that gutted the Singh’s building on Regent Street on Sun-day was still to be determined up to yesterday.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle, who said that investigators may possibly know the cause of the fire today, noted that an electrical inspector was taken to the scene yesterday.
Gentle added that investigators were conducting interviews with eyewitnesses yesterday.
This newspaper observ-ed firemen at the scene conducting further investigations.
Also at the scene was Moeen Javid, the owner of one of the businesses that was destroyed, SamTronix Mobile, and his employees.
Javid, in a brief interview with this newspaper, recalled visiting the scene on Sunday night and finding that everything was already burnt.
The man, who said he has lost millions in goods, noted that he had shipped in containers with additional items just about two weeks ago.
Javid said that he and his five employees are now without a job as a result of the fire.
When asked what his immediate plans are, Javid said he intends to start back once everything is sorted out.
At approximately 8.30 pm on Sunday a fire destroyed Singh’s building, located at 136 Regent Street, and a tent in the place where the Sachi building that was ravaged by fire in February of this year was located. Gentle said on Sunday the fire reportedly started in the Sachi’s lot and engulfed the Singh’s building, where Samtronix Mobile was located.
Meanwhile, Sharon Coates, a supervisor attached to Dhoray’s Fashion, which is located next door, was unsure when her store would reopen, although she mentioned Wednesday being the possible reopening date.
Firefighters’ efforts were hindered after losing vital time in clearing garbage which covered a nearby fire hydrant. However, they were able to extinguish and contain the blaze to the one building.
Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine yesterday told a statutory city council meeting that businesses were responsible for dumping the garbage, which was piled up in boxes and large bags.
One eyewitness had said that the fire started following an explosion while another said that vagrants were burning garbage at the side of the Sachi’s lot and it may have gotten out of control.
He explained that firefighters battled the flames, pausing at intervals after loud explosions were heard and at one time when the walls of the building crumbled. Four fire tenders arrived at the scene within minutes and immediately got to work.
Sharafat Ali, the manager of the Singh’s Store building, said on Sunday 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.
