A Guyana Power and Light (GPL) transformer went up in flames yesterday morning on Church Street near Waterloo Street after an explosion.
The fire which began around 10 am was put out at approximately 11:22 am by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
Farnun Martine, a 26-year-old sales representative who works at the Thousand Dollar Store located at 189 Church Street, told Stabroek News that around 10am she and her fellow employees heard an explosion and when she looked outside, she saw the transformer in flames. She recalled, “Right after we call the Guyana Fire Service.” She stated that although they responded promptly, firefighters had to wait until GPL arrived. Martine also noted that in the recent past, the wires attached to the same transformer would spark but nothing like this ever happened.
Security guard, Mark Martin, attached to Panther Security, said that when he returned to his post at around 10:30 am after leaving to go on an errand, he saw that the transformer was on fire. He too stated that this was the first time an explosion happened although the wires would spark. He opined that GPL should do something about it.
Meanwhile, the owner of a snackette which is situated next to the pole the transformer was attached to, said that she was unaware of when the explosion occurred, but as soon as she heard it and saw fire, she swiftly left her snackette. She subsequently closed her place of business and relocated several important items to a safer place. She too related that there were instances when the wires attached to the pole would spark.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene around 10: 45 am, GFS ranks were waiting for the GPL technicians to disconnect the power to enable them to safely put out the fire.
According to GFS Public Relations Officer, Silyne Griffith, at around 9:54 am yesterday, the call was received about the transformer fire which elicited a swift response. However, firefighters had to wait while GPL effected disconnections before firefighters could go into action.
