Some 13 people were rescued on Saturday night after a fire broke out on the fourth floor of the Ramada Princess Hotel and Casino at Providence, which saw firefighters sustaining minor cuts and one guest suffering from smoke inhalation.
According to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the fire appeared to have started in room 431. The six-storey building has some 194 rooms along with a casino, which is located at the southern side of the structure. There were 293 adults and 4 children registered at the hotel.
Fire Lead Investigator and Fire Prevention Officer Sheldon Sauns related that the GFS responded with 28 firefighters and five tenders, which included the hydraulics platform, some 10 minutes after receiving the emergency call.
Smoke was observed emanating from the eastern side of the building, which triggered the fire alarm and sprinkler systems. Sauns explained that the fire had to be fought from all directions while catering for a full evacuation.
Along with the water source, firefighters also used the hotel’s pool and gained access through other floors.
Sauns said that the room where the fire started was completely gutted while some other rooms were scorched.
The origin of the fire is yet to be determined.
On Saturday night, bedsheets tied together were seen hanging down from the building, a sign that guests had taken their own steps to flee from rooms.
A statement from the GFS said that the Fire Department was called and informed of the blaze at 22:47 hrs.
The Eccles, Diamond, Central, and West Ruimveldt fire stations promptly dispatched water tenders, water carriers, a hydraulic platform, three ambulances, and their personnel to the scene, with the first appliance arriving at 22:54 hrs.
Under the command of Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham twenty-eight fire-fighting personnel went into immediate action and managed to safely evacuate all of the guests present at the hotel at the time and contained the blaze in a timely manner.
The recently acquired hydraulic high-rise platform was also used to rescue a number of persons who were trapped on the sixth floor of the hotel.
One guest was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation by Emergency Medical Technicians for treatment of smoke inhalation. There were no serious injuries or casualties.
At 3.10 am yesterday, that fire-fighting operations ceased, the GFS said. The room of origin, along with rooms 433 and 435 sustained significant damage.
Two lines working from water carrier #14, water tender #116, HP #2, and an open water source were used to extinguish the fire.
President Irfaan Ali along with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, Minister of Tourism, Oneidge Walrond, Minister with responsibility for information, Kwame McCoy and Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken and other officials were on scene from around 11 pm until about 3 am, the GFS said.
Investigations are underway by Fire Prevention officials to ascertain the cause of the fire.
