A late morning fire in the heart of the city resulted in millions of dollars going up in flames and congestion throughout town.
Firefighters on the scene
The fire began at approximately 11:10h at the property located on the corner of Avenue of the Republic and America Street, which formerly housed Fazia’s Collection and now operates as a family business divided into separate entities, such as Raj wholesale and retail, Trendz latest styles, USA styles, Razor Pro-barber shop, among others.
The fire is believed to have started in the third floor of the insured building, which is used as a bond for the business entities on the ground floor.
Upon noticing the fire, bus operators who ply their trade in the vicinity, rushed in to save what could be rescued from the building while the Guyana Fire Service was summoned and arrived shortly after, dispatching three fire trucks to the scene.
Acting Chief Fire Officer Winston McGregor indicated that the fire service received a call at around 11:34h.
McGregor added that the firefighters after using the water in the trucks resorted to the nearby canal. He noted that they dispatched three fire trucks to the scene: “When we arrived here we used the water from our tanks and then reverted to the open water source, (but) because of the silt in the canal we were unable to get water immediately but were subsequently able to contain the fire.”
McGregor went on to say that the area is one of the busiest in the country and congestion was posing a problem as part of the roads were already blocked off due to Parliament, however, the Guyana Police Force was summoned. ‘A’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken related that they received a call sometime around 11:45 from the Fire Service, seeking assistance to cordon off the area so as to facilitate the movement of the fire trucks and avoid anyone getting injured. The ranks were quickly deployed to the scene. This newspaper understands that the property is a family owned establishment. One family member speaking to Guyana Times indicated that it was only on Wednesday that a large quantity of goods were delivered to the bond.
The items included clothes and household items, all of which amounted to millions of dollars. The origin of the fire is still unknown as the Fire Service continues to investigate.
