On Thursday, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said that at 10.24 am it was alerted to a fire at the Plum Park, Sophia building that houses the Childcare and Family Centre. It said that by the time the blaze was extinguished, the top floor of the building which served as living quarters was severely damaged, while the ground floor which served as a storage area suffered serious water damage.
The fire service said that there were no injuries or casualties reported. It then went on to say that the “fire is believed to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring installation, which resulted in arcing and sparking, subsequently igniting nearby combustible materials.”
There are two serious issues here. The first is the GFS’s belief that the blaze was caused by “faulty electrical wiring”. If this is indeed borne out to be so it would underline the poor services that are being provided by contractors across the board. The facility was constructed only in 2019 and would have required performance at the highest standard possible. If the GFS is correct that the work was substandard, this contractor should be identified and should be surcharged for the extensive damage caused. The Government electrical inspector and other agencies responsible for wiring standards should be part of an investigation to determine what transpired. Other work done by the contractor should also come under examination.
The more serious issue is the loss of life that could have occurred in this blaze, Up to the time of the writing of this editorial there had been no statement from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security but there must be accountability.
When the Centre was declared open on September 26, 2019 it was described as a “safe haven” for vulnerable and at-risk children and their families. Then Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally said that the 24-hour service centre has the capacity to hold some 80 children. It also has eight self-contained apartments for families who may need temporary shelter.
On Thursday morning, this place was far from a safe haven for at-risk children and their families. For those who were present on the morning of the fire there will be significant trauma associated with the hasty evacuations and relocation.
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security must give an immediate accounting as to how many children and adults were present at the facility at the time of the fire. It must also say whether they are now in accommodation that largely mirrors what was available at Plum Park. It must also say what was recounted by the adults and caretakers of the facility at the time that the fire started. If it was a case of faulty wiring, there may have been earlier instances of trouble with the electrical systems to have warranted urgent remedial action. Were there any reports of this? Have counsellors been able to glean anything of importance from its engagement with the children who were evacuated?
These questions are exceedingly important given the tragedies that preceded this fire. No one needs to be reminded about the March 2023 fire at Mahdia that claimed the lives of 20 children and for which there was inordinate blame shifting and denial.
There was also an earlier incident with resonance to Thursday’s incident. On July 7th, 2016, two brothers, Antonio George and Joshua George perished at the Hadfield Street Drop-in Centre for children after a fire. A Commission of Inquiry was convened and the subsequent report highlighted that the centre had systematic problems and bad arrangements for fire safety.
The $250m Childcare and Family Centre at Plum Park was built in response to that tragic fire on Hadfield Street. The new Centre itself has now itself been severely damaged by fire. Much more needs to be known to ascertain that the state is providing a real safe haven for at-risk children and their families. Perhaps by coincidence, in the early hours of the morning of the fire, a guard at the centre was found with an illegal weapon and detained. Did this event at all have any impact on what later transpired? Answers are needed.
