The Guyana Fire Service was today praised after it responded with efficiency to a fire at the Imam Bacchus Rice mill on the Essequibo Coast on Thursday.
A release today from the company said that the mill was in the middle of intake operations for the busy harvest.
According to CEO of Imam Bacchus & Sons Ltd, Aadil Baksh, tractor-trailers are constantly moving through the mill every day as farmers deliver the first crop of the year and a shutdown would have affected the livelihood of the workers and the farmers. He added that any significant loss would have been a catastrophe.
According to the release, witnesses say the fire started in an electrical transformer on the site just before noon on Thursday, April 6th. The employee response crew immediately called the fire department and doused the fire on the ground, but the fire within the transformer box continued. “The fire service reach quick,” said one observer, according to the release. “Within 5 minutes they come and set up and start work.”
The release said that the response was led by Divisional Officer A. Holder, Station Officer C. Springer, and the crews of Water Tenders #77 and #88. According to Leading Fireman E. James, their first job was to contain the fire and then they cut the electricity in cooperation with GPL. They then used their hoses to cool the transformer until they could open it up and put out the flames, the release said.
“The management of Imam Bacchus & Sons have expressed their deep gratitude to the Fire Service for their professional and swift action”, the release added.
Imam Bacchus & Sons Ltd are a third-generation, family-owned business who manufacture the Imam brand rice and noodle products.
