An early-morning fire ripped through a clothing establishment located in Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Berbice on Tuesday, leaving the business owner counting millions of dollars in losses.
The charred interior of the boutique
The now gutted building housed the Indulge Boutique, which was owned and operated by Rajeshwar Ramdass, a well-known entrepreneur in Berbice.
According to information reaching Guyana Times, the fire started during intense rainfall around 04:00h. This was as the heavy winds and downpour resulted in sparks emanating from nearby electrical wires which quickly spread to the building.
Ramdass, who resides in Springlands, Corentyne, several villages away from Number 78, was only informed of the incident after his establishment was already engulfed in flames.
The 46-year-old told the media that by the time he arrived at the scene after receiving a call from residents within the area, it was too late to salvage anything.
This publication understands that firefighters arrived shortly after a report was made, but they had no water and as such, were forced to break one of the main pipelines in the village to extinguish the blaze.
The Guyana Fire Service has since launched an investigation.
