Alexander Street fire: Blaze started in bottom flat of storage bond – resident

– GFS to ascertain cause of fire

A house that served as a storage bond at Alexander Village, Georgetown, was completely ravaged by fire on Sunday night, racking up losses in the millions. The Diwali night fire started sometime after 20:00h at the Lot 159 Third Street, Alexander Village property, which was unoccupied.
A neighbour, Bobby Reid, told Guyana Times during an interview on Monday that he was awakened by the commotion outside his premises, of persons sounding an alarm that there was a fire in the neighbourhood.
Flames were first observed in the lower flat of the two-storey wooden and concrete structure.
Reid recounted, “I was awakened by the commotion because we had a vehicle parked outside and they wanted us to move it.”
He rendered assistance before the Guyana Fire Service arrived, by allowing persons to access water from his yard. However, the heavily-grilled windows impeded these efforts to contain the fire. Moments later, flames were seen spreading to the upper flat.
“Some guys were trying to get water from my yard to throw into the fire but they couldn’t get it in because there was a grille and metal so the water wasn’t reaching the fire. Before you know, the whole downstairs was engulfed and the fire was going upstairs. It kept going and going,” he described.
He commended the work of firefighters in containing the blaze, by utilising water from a nearby trench. Given the close proximity, the man contended that the fire could have easily swept up his dwellings as well as other nearby houses.
“When the Fire Service got here, they started to pump water. They did a great job; a very, very good job because without them, I would probably be homeless today. All of these houses would be gone. They came and they soaked my side, the other side, and contained it. Once they got it under control, the fire just went down.”
Houses in close proximity only suffered minor scorching, broken windows, and water damage.
Reid added, “Everything got wet in my house. All of that trench water is in my house and I have to clean my whole house.”
This publication understands that the bond was used to store clothes for the owner’s business. These items were highly combustible and contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze. The aftermath showed heaping debris of partially burnt jeans and other articles of clothing.
After several hours of firefighting, the fire was put out. The Guyana Fire Service is currently investigating to determine the cause and origin of the fire.