Chinese supermarket gutted after gas cylinder explodes
The Chinese establishment engulfed in flames
A Chinese supermarket at Barnwell, East Bank Essequibo has been destroyed in a fire that resulted after a gas cylinder reportedly exploded on Thursday at about 19:22h.
According to the Guyana Fire Service, firefighters arrived at the scene at about 19:51h to find the entire two-storey wooden-and- concrete building engulfed.
The building was owned by Vickram Ramai, and had been occupied by Chinese national Aria Chen, who has been rendered homeless, with millions of dollars in losses.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire resulted from a propane cylinder leaking gas that came into contact with naked flames, and nearby combustible materials were ignited as the fire spread throughout the building.
A firefighter putting out the blaze
Fire at Starter’s Nursery School
Meanwhile, at about 10:28h on Friday, the GFS received a report that a fire had broken out at the Starter’s Nursery School on Camp Street, Georgetown. Firefighters arrived promptly on the scene, and went into action, quickly extinguishing the fire. A concrete wall and one electrical distribution panel breaker have been damaged by the fire.
The electrical breaker that was damaged at the Starter’s Nursery School
Preliminary investigations suggest that the cause of the fire was a breakdown in the electrical distribution panel, which led to arcing and sparking, and subsequently ignition of nearby combustible materials.
