3-storey NA hotel gutted by fire

A fire suspected to be electrical in origin has destroyed the 28-room Castle Hotel and Bar at 12 Chapel Street in New Amsterdam Berbice on Wednesday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said the fire was first spotted at about 16:30h on the lower flat of the northeastern side of the building; and although challenged by low water pressure, firefighters battled for three hours before being able to bring the blaze under control. At 17:30h, firefighters were still battling to control the flames and smoke billowing from the third storey of the building.
Dayal Jagdeo, who operates a printing business opposite the hotel, said Guyana Power and Light (GPL) personnel had visited the premises twice on Wednesday afternoon before the fire started.
“It took about fifteen minutes for GPL to answer the phone! I called them because the transformer was sparking. They came and they disconnected the power from one source and left the other one,” the eyewitness said.
Castle Hotel is connected to both the Main Street and Strand power supply lines, giving the hotel the advantage of being still connected to the grid when there are power outages on either Main Street or at Strand.
“After GLP left, the transformer was still sparking, and we called them again! When they came, the main switch to the building was smoking, and they went in and look at it…When they were leaving, the neighbour from the restaurant over there told them that (the transformer was still) sparking,” the man related.
This witness has said that, moments later, fire was seen coming from a section of the building. At the time, only the security guard and receptionist were in the building; there were no guests at the facility. However, reports are that there were several reservations for the evening.
Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus has said he was informed that the building was on fire at 16:36h, and he contacted the New Amsterdam Fire Service, which responded promptly. However, he pointed out, the firefighters did experience some challenges.

Challenges
New Amsterdam Mayor Wainwright McIntosh, who was on scene with some municipal councillors to lend support, said there have been challenges with the fire hydrants along the Strand.
“It is amazing! This fire commenced around 4:30pm, and now is after 7:00 in the evening and the firefighters are still working quite industriously to put out the fire…,” he said.
While the workforce was on the ground, because of the technical difficulties being experienced with the fire hydrants, the efficiency of the Guyana Fire Service was reduced; and, the mayor said, the water in the reservoir at the two hydrants along Strand was depleted within a few seconds.
“We found that the water pressure was extremely low, so the fire trucks exhausted the water within seconds; and so the time to replenish the water at the hydrant was a lengthy period, so the Fire Service had to be toughing between two fire hydrants,” he explained.
The mayor has mentioned a project jointly undertaken by the municipality and the New Amsterdam Fire Service to renovate the fire hydrants along Strand. He had this to say about it.
“What we found when we serviced those hydrants along Strand was that there was a huge volume of garbage (that had been) dumped into those fire hydrants, and so this is why we are engaging all citizens at this point, to ensure these perpetrators are caught and (made to face) the necessary action with regards to such contraventions,” Mayor McIntosh pointed out.
He said the municipality will heighten its security to ensure hydrants are not compromised, and his office would continue to work with the Fire Service to ensure that the fire hydrants in and around New Amsterdam are functional.
The destroyed hotel is owned by former President of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce, Errol Azar. (G4)