Berbice Fire Department overwhelmed with over 130 reports of fires for October

As grassfires continue to erupt in Berbice, the Fire Department is being faced with several challenges, according to Station Officer Shannon Crawford, who works from the New Amsterdam Fire Service.
In an engagement with the press, Crawford said each fire has its own challenges, including the location of the fire and the risk and danger – including smoke danger – to residents and livestock.
Nevertheless, he is assuring that the Department would approach each fire as needed.
He said the Department is called out on a daily basis to deal with grassfires, and for September, the Department responded to 60 grassfires in West Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), while another 36 were in the New Amsterdam area, and an additional 57 occurred in Central and Upper Corentyne areas.
For October, the Fire Department has thus far responded to 131 calls, making it 650 calls for the year to date, he said.
“It is at an alarming rate, and should be of concern to everyone, because fire safety is everyone’s business. And so, we all should be very concerned about this,” he said.
He pointed out that the prevailing dry spell brings with it an elevated temperature, and persons are as such advised to be extra careful, since the conditions make it easier for vegetation to be ignited.
A grassfire that erupted shortly after 13:00h on Wednesday at Brighton Village on the Corentyne Coast continues to burn currently;
the western half of the Stanleytown Cemetery in New Amsterdam has had a grassfire, and the New Amsterdam Municipal dumpsite is still a cause for concern, he explained.
“Some of the major fires that are confronting us are: the Stanleytown Cemetery; the two municipal dumpsites; the New Amsterdam Municipal Dump Site. That fire started since September 18, and it has been propagating continuously, and we also have the Rose Hall Municipal Dump Site. That, too, has been propagating for a while. What has happened at these two dumpsites is that the fires have undermined, because of the amount of garbage that was built up over the years, and you have gases that are there. So, it is very difficult to extinguish,” Crawford pointed out.
As it relates to the dump site in New Amsterdam, he related that the Department has had to make regular visits there. “We are still looking for solutions with other stakeholders to kill that situation,” he added. Some residents say the thick smoke emanating from the grass has forced them to leave their homes.
Crawford is calling on residents to cooperate with the Fire Department and with officers when they are on the ground in operation. He noted that the Guyana Fire Service Facebook page has advisories in relation to grassfires and bushfires.