Home News Linden sawmill dump fire: Blaze expected to continue for several days; firefighters...
Some five days after a fire after a blaze erupted at a sawmill waste dump in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Upper Berbice), reports indicate that the inferno, which has since been contained by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), is expected to burn for several days before it is completely extinguished.
Over the weekend, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn visited the site of the fire, there he revealed that currently, several government and private entities are working along with the GFS to extinguish the blaze.
“There is support from the Civil Defence Commission, the Army, the Ministry of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agencies, and all others, including the sawmill owners, who are supporting. And people who are building the road going to Mabura; ALYA, and private businesses in the area, are all helping one way or the other to bring this situation to an end.”
Moreover, the minister revealed that additional personnel and equipment have been brought into the region, to bolster the local firefighting capabilities. However, due to the geographic location of the inferno, Minister Benn revealed that the blaze is predicted to run for several days before it is fully extinguished.
“The most tedious job of course will be having to be done by the firefighters. They have been boosted by more equipment and crews coming from Georgetown and other areas. But given the extent of the fire and the depth at which it is occurring, we need more support with equipment and pumps to get on top of this. So this may take another week at the most. Equipment depending and with the assistance of rain too, and overcast conditions, to bring this under some significant control.”
Currently a total of 16 firefighters are on the ground actively working to extinguish the blaze. One of the officers’ present at the site, Station Officer, Rovin Thomas, highlighted one of the main challenges being faced by the team of firefighters as the work to extinguish the blaze.
He said, “… one of the challenges we are having is the low pressure in the area; currently we are sourcing water from pressure fed supply; that’s 2 hydrants and the pressure we have to balance between providing adequate usable supply for the residents as well as adequate supply for firefighters. We are trying to access an open source which is a creek but it’s downhill. So we are in the process of acquiring or having pumps being brought up to see if we can get that water from that spring up to the actual seat of the fire.”
Last Friday, industrial operators who use the area have been advised to halt all operations until further notice. This appeal follows a recent incident in which a nearby hut caught fire and was severely damaged.
Preliminary reports indicate that the fire was triggered by negligent disposal of fresh timber waste by a nearby sawmill operation. The waste was placed too close to the fire’s edge, where it ignited and spread to the shed, resulting in significant destruction.
Firefighters reported that there are approximately ten sawmills operating in close proximity to the fire zone, further compounding the risk.
