Quick action by members of the Guyana Police Force,
yesterday, saved what could have resulted in a multi-million-dollar
disaster as a result of a fire that raced through a two-storied
building at the corner of
Regent and Light Streets.
Reports are that some time after 17:00 hours, smoke was spotted coming from
the upper flat of building which houses the West Half Fashion-Fabric World.
Another building that houses Dhanson Trading on
Light Street also caught fire but firemen managed to save the building from
being gutted.
According to Odessa Garraway, an employee of West Half Fashion, the store
was already closed for the day when the fire started.
Garraway said that she and another colleague were on their way home further
up Regent Street when they heard people talking of a fire. They decided to
turn back.
“We just lock up and going home. When we turn back then we hear people
saying is de clothes store on fire,” Garraway said.
To her dismay Garraway said moments later she saw
that it was her place of employment on fire.
The woman told this newspaper that when she and her colleagues left the
building there was no electricity in the building as there was a power
outage just before they closed up.
Nothing was saved from the burning building.
Persons from the Dhanson Trading also said that they had just closed up the
store and had left when they learnt that there was a fire at the location.
One man who
declined to give his name said that he left the store and was on his way to
the gym when he received a call from a friend informing him that there was a
fire at the store.
The man said that he rushed back to the location and he saw fire tenders and
a large crowd.
According to persons who converged at the scene the fire tenders arrived
promptly.
When this newspaper arrived on the scene firemen were relentlessly trying to
put out the fire from West Half Fashion and to save the neighbouring
building.
At one point, firemen were seen forming a bucket brigade using water from a
nearby gutter in their efforts to contain the fire. The firefighters were
also forced to break a section of the building to prevent the fire from
spreading to other buildings.
And while the firefighters were doing their work
the crowd at the location continued to build up and ranks on the ground were
heard calling for additional support to help contain the crowd.
A senior officer said that additional ranks were needed in the event that
the crowd got out of control, which could have led looting.
The firefighters were praised for their efforts, as they were able to
contain the fire to the one building.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
