Millions of dollars went up in flames when a fire of unknown origin raced through a foam factory at Eccles Industrial Site on Monday night.

The remains of the building

Nothing was saved at the Foam Plus Enterprise at 51 Eccles Industrial Site after the fire started at the factory sometime before midnight. Owner of the factory Fazal Alli told Stabroek News that he does not know the exact time the fire started.

He said he received a phone call a little after midnight. When he arrived on the scene the fire-fighters were already there putting out the blaze, however everything was already destroyed in the foam factory. The highly combustible materials in the factory contributed to the entire building going down within minutes, Alli opined.

Alli told Stabroek News that although he cannot give a specific figure for his losses it runs into the millions. Newly installed machinery was also consumed.

The building consisted of two storeys.

Alli said that there were strict policies at the factory to ensure that all machines were turned off before employees left after a day’s work. A central main which served all machines and equipment would be turned off at the end of the day.

As such, Alli said that he does not have the slightest clue what could have caused the fire.

The factory did not have a guard on duty. A guard is stationed at a hut at the entrance to the Industrial site, but the night duty guards had all left the area when Stabroek News visited the scene. Insurance agents had just finished visiting the site when this newspaper arrived.