Staff of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were yesterday forced to evacuate the building located at 200-201 Camp Street, Georgetown after a small fire on the fourth floor.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene, GRA staffers were observed lining the street and avenue outside the building, waiting for the all clear.
While no smoke was seen emanating from the building, Stabroek News was able to confirm from sources at the scene what had transpired. “According to the fire department, we had a power surge which led to a fluorescent bulb overheating and subsequently burning in the Risk Management Department.”
The fourth floor comprises the Human Resources, Finance, Procurement, Customs, Risk Management, and Central Data Processing Unit departments. According to another source, the fire was due to a fluctuation of current in the Risk Management Department. They also confirmed that no major damage was caused.
A GRA staff member confirmed that when the fire occurred, they were not immediately informed of what was going on as the fire alarm panel had issues and did not sound off to alert them of the emergency. “When it happened, we were thinking it was a fire drill or bomb scare,” they continued. “We had to be told by other staff that there was an ongoing fire, and we evacuated the building.” They confirmed that 45 minutes after the fire had started, the fire service arrived on the scene. This also led a few staffers to question the validity of the building’s fire certification.
Around 3 pm, staffers were allowed to reenter the compound but were asked to exit mere minutes later as the fire service was still making its checks.
