Fire destroys former New Amsterdam Labour, Human Services building

A fire on Saturday evening destroyed a three-storey wooden and concrete building along Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam, which previously housed the Ministries of Labour and Human Services and Social Security.
The structure has been vacant since late last year after the relocation of both agencies. Plans were reportedly afoot for reconstruction, although authorities had certified the building as unsafe more than three years ago.
Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald said the Guyana Fire Service received the fire call at approximately 21:16h, and two fire units were immediately dispatched from the New Amsterdam Fire Station. Firefighters arrived within five minutes of the call.

However, McDonald explained that based on the intensity of the blaze upon arrival, as well as videos circulating on social media, it is estimated that the building had already been burning for about 15 minutes before the alarm was raised.
“Upon arrival, the entire structure was engulfed in flames. Crews immediately went into action to suppress the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings,” McDonald said.
The building, which was once two floors and later expanded, was located along a major traffic corridor linking New Amsterdam to the Corentyne, East Canje, and other coastal communities. The heavily trafficked roadway attracted scores of onlookers as the blaze unfolded, prompting ranks of the Guyana Police Force to cordon off the area and manage crowd control while firefighting operations continued.

McDonald confirmed that an electrical fault has been identified as the preliminary cause of the fire, which originated on the western side of the structure. Nothing was salvaged.
Firefighting efforts were described as challenging due to the size of the blaze and the building’s wooden upper floors, which collapsed as flames intensified. Two large-capacity fire tenders were deployed, while additional stations were placed on alert due to the building’s status as a government facility.
Despite the scale of the fire, firefighters were able to prevent it from spreading to neighbouring structures, including nearby residences and a church.
No injuries were reported, and no one was inside the building at the time of the fire.
Investigations are continuing.