A fire, which broke out last evening at the Drop-in-Centre in Hadfield Street, has forced the temporary relocation of the 46 children housed there, even as several of them had to be hospitalized after being tramautised by the experience.

However, the quick response of the Guyana Fire Service and neighbouring residents minimized the damage done by the blaze, which was contained to the top flat of the two-storey building. Investi-gations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

Firemen battling the blaze at the Drop-in-Centre last evening (Brenon Sookram photo)

According to reports, at around 6 pm last evening flames were seen emanating from the upper flat of the building in the vicinity of the male dormitory.  The building is located to the west of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), which is situated just off the intersection of Hadfield Street and College Road.

Immediate efforts were made to move the 25 boys and 21 girls to safety at a building opposite the centre. Subsequently efforts were made to remove valuable equipment and household items from the establishment.  All the children were accounted for and there were no major injuries.

However, the blaze left several of the children in a fragile emotional state and several were seen crying uncontrollably. A few of the children even fainted.  Those affected were then taken to the hospital while the others were rushed to another facility in Sophia where they will be temporarily housed.

Fire Chief Marlon Gentle last evening praised the response of the Fire Service. According to him, after a call was received at 6.03 pm, four units were immediately dispatched to the scene. He said they were soon backed up by a water tanker.  Together the units were able to contain the blaze, he said.

The frightened children who lived at the Centre after they had been rushed to safety. (Brenon Sookram photo)

When the fire-fighters arrived, Gentle said that the fire was concentrated on the top floor of the two-storey building. He said immediately “fire suppression started as well as searches to ensure all occupants were out.”  An investigation to determine the source of the blaze has been launched, he said.

As news of the fire spread, several cabinet members including Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand, Health Ministers Dr Leslie Ramsammy and Dr Bheri Ramsaran, Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir and Junior Finance Minister Dr Jennifer Webster gathered on the scene to offer their support.

Manickchand told reporters last evening that the children would be temporarily relocated to the Sophia facility until firm decisions were made. She said the children would have been specially supervised by the social workers last evening given all that had happened.  According to her, decisions concerning the future of the Hadfield Street facility would have to be made later. Stabroek News understands that the building was once a wooden-structure but it had been recently rehabilitated as a concrete structure.

Meanwhile, Dr Ramsaran disclosed that those children who were shocked and tramautised needed to be carefully monitored.  Initially six children had been taken to the hospital the Minister said.  He noted that in such situations, the children needed to be taken out of the stressful environment so as to balance the circumstances. He congratulated the fire service for their quick work and the neighbours for all the assistance they gave.