Millions were lost yesterday as a blaze that started in a garbage dump later mushroomed into a grass fire, travelling some 500 feet to consume Rohan’s Lumberyard at Enmore, East Coast Demerara.
The fire started at approximately 9:30 am and swept through the lumber yard at approximately 11:30 am. A backhoe machine valued $10 million was among the items destroyed in addition to the lumber that was stored in the yard.
According to Richard Persaud, owner of the land upon which the lumberyard was located, at about 11 am, he recognised that the fire was spreading and that the lumber yard was in its path and at risk. He said that the owner of the lumberyard had earlier placed an emergency call to the Guyana Fire Service [GFS] and two fire tenders arrived between 11 am and 12 noon but with limited water capacity. This was used to douse vending booths in the immediate vicinity of the lumberyard. The GFS sought water from a nearby hydrant but the pressure from that source was low and inhibited any attempt to contain the fire. The GFS then sought water from a nearby canal, but as this was going on, Persaud watched in alarm as the fire finally spread to the lumberyard which was packed with wood.