Millions lost in Bee Hive fire

Millions went up in flames when a fire gutted the worksite of a furniture store at Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara early yesterday morning.

Stabroek News was told that the fire started at approximately 2:15am and swept through the entire worksite, which is located next to the home of the proprietor of the furniture store at Lot 450 Bee Hive Public Road.

The remains of the worksite after the fire
The remains of the worksite after the fire
Firefighters battling the blaze
Firefighters battling the blaze

A few residents living in close proximity to the site said they were awakened by explosions and upon checking they saw the worksite on fire. They immediately rushed to render assistance and to alert the owner, who was asleep with his family.

Amar (only name given), owner of the furniture store, said he was roused by residents and subsequently called the Mahaica Fire Service, while villagers tried to control the fire by forming a bucket brigade. Amar said the fire service responded quickly but the fire tender lacked water to battle the flames. As a result, other tenders had to respond from Georgetown. However, by then it was too late.

When this newspaper visited the scene yesterday, Amar along with his workers were present in their numbers as the site was being cleared by an excavator. He estimated his losses to be in the millions since he lost machines integral to his business.

The cause of the fire was unknown.

Efforts to contact Fire Chief Marlon Gentle for a comment on the matter proved futile as calls to him went unanswered.