The Sharon’s Mall located at 154 King and Charlotte streets was last evening destroyed by a fire which started on the third floor of the four-storey building.
Losses will run into the tens of millions and several small businesses would have lost all of their goods.
The fire, based on reports received, started sometime between 4.30 and 5.00 pm with thick smoke emanating from the Charlotte Street entrance until the building burst into raging flames at about 7.18pm.
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn who was present at the scene, told reporters that there were reports of smoke earlier yesterday but no one reacted to it.
He informed that is was sometime around 4.30 yesterday afternoon that the fire broke out.
The minister opined that it appeared as though firefighters had the fire under control but given the fact that the building is made of concrete and steel with drop ceilings, it is believed that the fire was slowly moving along the wiring conduits of the building,
Benn noted that the fire service needed to become more familiar with the different types of building construction, their challenges and in getting actively engaged on a scene.
He urged that buildings more than two storeys high should be equipped with fire alarms and sprinkler systems.
Meanwhile, scores of persons present at the scene of the fire contended that the firefighters were laid back in their approach.
The building security officer who first saw smoke coming through the vents disclosed that he immediately switched off the breakers and instructed everyone present in the building to leave.
Attorney Paula Nicholson in an invited comment said she was present in the building with a colleague of hers at about 5.15 pm when the security for the building instructed them to evacuate.
The woman recounted that when she left the room she was in, she saw smoke but it was not billowing. She stated that it appeared as though the fire was burning between the roof of the second floor and the flooring of the third floor.
At that point in time she realised that the elevator could not be used and so they made their way out by using the stairwell.
She explained that the fire tenders arrived shortly after persons evacuated the building, and observed that the fire tenders thought that it was an electrical fire and therefore were focussing their efforts on managing electricity issues rather than putting out the actual fire with the use of water.
Nicholson stated that most of the occupants from the ground floor of the building had already left for home and would have suffered tremendous losses of goods. Many were not insured.
The attorney believes that if the fire service was more equipped to deal with a fire of such nature, the building could have been saved.
She noted that the fire tenders spent over an hour acting according to their assessment of an electrical fire and virtually accomplished nothing until the smoke started to billow through the sides of the building and other openings. At this point firefighters decided to use water.
The woman further related that she had asked an officer in charge to gather some supplies from a store belonging to her sister, but was told that the fire-fighters had the fire under control, and would not be using water so there was no need to worry about water damage.
The woman stated that her sister who operated a stationery business was on the East Bank Demerara at the time of the fire. After her sister arrived at the mall they were able to save two printers but everything else was destroyed.
Another store owner, who gave her name as Samantha told this newspaper that she was informed of the fire by her staff.
The woman said that she had no knowledge of the fire after having closed her business just a short time prior to the fire. On receiving the news, she immediately returned to Sharon’s Mall and saw just a small amount of smoke coming from the building.
The woman said she attempted to access the building in the hope of saving some items but was prevented from doing so. The woman who said she felt hurt over the entire ordeal stated that while she knows the drill in relation to a fire, persons on the outside where trying to rescue their property and she had hoped to do so as well.
She also thought that the fire-fighters failed in their duties and recalled seeing fire trucks parked and firemen just walking around.
She said that one of the fire-fighters was aggressive towards her and remarked to this newspaper, “You don’t treat people like that.”
She operates a beauty shop as a means of an income and explained that if she was allowed to enter her store with the assistance of a firefighter she could have saved some items and cash.
The woman shared that there were no clouds of smoke at time she wanted to enter her store. She believes that the fire-fighters were slack in controlling the fire.
Stabroek News observed at least four fire trucks present at the scene along with scores of onlookers.
At some point during the raging fire, wires attached to two separate utility poles began sparking causing persons behind a police barricade to disperse.
Sometime after 8pm last evening firefighters were better able to control the fire.
