The Guyana Fire Service yesterday confirmed that Tuesday’s Regent Street fire which ravaged four stores, originated in the living quarters of Chinese nationals who lived in the upper flat of their store.
“We are still investigating. The men were back at the scene today (yesterday). So far we were able to establish that the fire began at the back of the building (that was occupied as living quarters by the Chinese that leased a section of a duplex owned by Claire and Anthony Pires),” Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told Stabroek News yesterday.
Four Chinese citizens, including the owner of the store who is currently hospitalized, were dramatically rescued from the building they occupied during the fire on Tuesday. Firemen had said that they were trapped in the heavily grilled and shuttered building and rescue was difficult.
On Tuesday, sometime after 5am, fire-fighters said they received a call informing of the blaze. Four stores in three buildings on the northern side of Regent Street between Camp and Alexander streets were gutted and the Courts Guyana subsidiary, Lucky Dollar’s top flat was burnt. The destroyed stores were Indra’s Fashions, Boyo’s Fashion, and a duplex owned by Clairan’s that housed the American Styles Boutique owned by them and the Chinese Store.
The owner of Indra’s Fashion, Ramdat Shiwprasad, 65, collapsed at the scene and was pronounced dead at the hospital after he suffered a heart attack.
Lucky Dollar’s management had said that while the two other flats of the store were not destroyed by the fire, all the furniture and electrical equipment on those floors were damaged by water. A section of the second floor had also caved in and was being monitored given that it is a potential hazard to persons entering the building. Numerous calls to the Pires’ went unanswered yesterday.
The nearby City Mall’s western side was scorched and while there were reports that some of the stores on that side of the mall suffered water damage. Stabroek News was unable to ascertain whether this was the case given that it was closed due to the Emancipation Day holiday.
Yesterday, police remained on the scene and the area remains barricaded. Investi-gations are continuing.
