The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said that “it was a close call” for the five Chinese nationals whose lives were saved from the inferno that engulfed their supermarket on Saffon Street early on Saturday morning.
The Chinese nationals were rushed to the hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire occurred just about 2:30 am on Saturday in the vicinity of Saffon and Sussex streets, Georgetown, opposite the La Penitence market. The burnt building housed a supermarket and other businesses. With thick smoke emanating and seen from afar, six water tenders, one hydraulic platform, one fire boat, and a hose layer from Central, Alberttown, Campbellville, West Ruimveldt, Eccles, and Fire Service Headquarters responded to the scene. The fire brigade arrived close to 3 am and firefighters reported that they say saw smoke coming from the building from all directions. Immediately, the firefighters sprang into action to contain the fire, however, the firefighters were informed that some Chinese nationals had been trapped in the building for over an hour.
Station Officer, Second in Charge of Operation, Otis Charles, during an interview with Stabroek News yesterday, explained that when he arrived at the scene, he was briefed by the first responder who told him that five persons were trapped in the building. This was later confirmed by a Chinese national who was outside of the building communicating with his trapped colleagues via text and calls. Charles said that after clear directions were given as to the location of the trapped individuals, he and two other firefighters along with the Chinese national, who was not fluent in English, but assisted with the aid of sign language ventured to the northeastern corner of the building. Inside the building, while it became clear as to where the five Chinese nationals were trapped, the fire was roaring through the building.
According to Charles, the five persons were trapped at the back of the building in a grilled room with concrete walls but to even get there, the firefighters had to deal with a concrete fence. This called for the use of a sledgehammer, and other equipment to break the concrete fence and grill to get to them and rescue them.
“We made a hole, where I and two other firefighters went through it and the Chinese national who came with us and showed us the corner where the persons were trapped. So, we had to break that wall and they had a whole host of grill work. So, we had to prise open that grill to get them out from that same corner”, he said. Charles added that this was a close call were it not for the work of the fire officers.
“It took about 10 minutes, but fortunately for them, they were in the room and the door was closed… if you are in a burning building and the door is closed, it gives you time before the fire comes into the room but it was a close call because when we managed to get them… the fire was already in the room. It was a timely rescue”, he said.
When it came to rating the performance of the GFS and its firefighters, Charles said that they all did an excellent job.
“We did an excellent job and I’m sure the Chinese nationals are praising the GFS and the fire attendants because we did an excellent job. No lives were lost”, he added.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
