-in wake of latest incident at Tuschen
MASSY Gas Products yesterday said that customers using LPG (cooking gas) are strongly encouraged to conduct regular checks on their cylinders, regulators and hoses.
“It is vital to replace old or damaged accessories with approved equipment and follow the safety guidelines provided by their gas supplier”, it said in a statement in response to an incident on Christmas Day which was reported in yesterday’s Stabroek News.
To further promote safety, MASSY says it has launched a social media campaign aimed at raising awareness about the safe use of cooking gas. Awareness and adherence to safety practices are critical in preventing incidents and ensuring customer safety, it said. For further assis-tance, consumers can contact Massy Gas Products at 233-2728 or the hotline 600-0839.
In the recent incident in Tuschen, the statement said that the MASSY Gas Response Team conducted an inspection of the gas cylinder, accessories, cook-ing equipment, and the condi-tions under which cooking was taking place.
“While the team has yet to make a final determination regarding the cause, several observations were made. The gas cylinder remained intact, retain-ing more than 50% of the LPG (cooking gas). However, the regulator and connecting hose were found to be burnt, and the regulator was reported to be over 15 years old”, the statement said.
It also noted that MASSY Gas Products (Guyana) Ltd., formerly DOCOL, has been filling LPG cylinders for nearly 80 years.
“As an ISO-certified com-pany, producing high-quality products and ensuring customer safety are our highest priorities. To ensure safety and quality, MASSY Gas Products employs a robust system of automatic leak detection equipment, comple-mented by multiple manual checks. These rigorous protocols ensure that our products meet the highest standards of safety and reliability”, the statement added.
The Christmas Day fire originating from a 20-lb Massy Gas bottle around 11 am, left Tuschen resident Annalisa Boodwah deeply traumatized.
In an interview with SN on Friday, the mother recounted that just moments before, representatives from Massy Gas had conducted an investigation.
According to Boodwah, the Massy Gas officials informed her that the fire was caused by her usage of a faulty regulator; however, she said, “They explained to me about the top that I had on it and advised me on what I should purchase instead. So, I asked why they don’t educate the public on this; they should inform people. Then the man, later identified as ‘Ryan,’ responded, ‘people are looking for cheap options.’ If individuals were aware that this could endanger their lives, I don’t think they’d be using a regulator that is already causing issues!”.
When questioned about when she bought the regulator, Boodwah replied, “I’ve had this regulator for 12 years! Only now, with this bottle, they are telling me it’s the regulator that’s faulty. I’ve used the same regulator with different bottles over the years!”. Boodwah continued, explaining that she bought the bottle from her mother’s store, “There are people in the area who sell these bottles back to others who then sell them to us. I purchased it from my mother’s shop.”
Detailing the events leading up to the fire, Boodwah said, “I light the stove, well I waited for the stove to heat up a little nah, when I not using the gas, I turn it back on when I ready to use it, so I turn it on, light the stove, wait for the stove to heat up then put in the cake. My phone rang at the same time so I went to answer the phone. By the time I answer the call and walk back and go to the kitchen, when I reach now I see the whole top of the bottle full of fire, so like I done start panic because like it’s a brand new gas and I thinking if I go down there now it will blow up and I will get myself damage so I run out back and stand up by the kitchen door and dash water from a distance but it didn’t outing it just keep raising raising all the time. That is when I decide to come out and holler for help. This neighbour over that side come out and he take a spade and push the bottle out and throw sand on it. The thing run reach up to me ceiling.”
Massy reportedly offered to replace the bottle, but Boodwah declined the offer, stating, “They wanted to replace the bottle and put their regulator on it, but I asked, ‘What are you putting it on?’ because I don’t have a stove right now. They mentioned wanting to take the bottle away, but I said no!”.
There have been three other fire incidents with Massy cylinders in recent months.
On December 17th, a family in Little Abary in Region Five grappled with the aftermath of a 20-lb Massy gas bottle explosion that rocked their home leaving them without basic utilities and seeking answers from the supplier.
On November 30th, SN reported that a life-threatening situation was narrowly avoided in a Better Hope home on November 29 thanks to the quick thinking and calm actions of Necolese Alexander, a career ICU nurse.
On August 29th, Massy Gas said it was ready to aid in the probe of an explosion of a 20-lb cylinder that allegedly belonged to it. The notice referred to an incident at a home on 1st August, 2024. It said that it had visited the family in question and had express-ed sympathies to the husband of the occupant who was injured.
