Resistance by inmates to help offered by warders and firefighters during the Camp Street prison riot and fire on Sunday has been seen as a major factor in the destruction of the state’s main penitentiary.
“You have 1018 souls to account for, what is your priority? Your priority is to ensure the fire doesn’t jump outside the walls of the prison, and secondly, to ensure everybody exits the prison safely. Intersperse that now with personnel…going about their duties, under constant attacks with bricks as big as my head and other obstacles being thrown at them …that were commandeered by those prisoners,” Fire Chief Marlon Gentle said on Sunday.
Stabroek News arrived on the scene just after 4pm and there were no fire tenders in attendance as yet. One arrived shortly after and parked at the corner of D’Urban and John streets. Two others came later; one stopped at the intersection of Camp and Bent streets, while the other was stationed at Bent and John streets. Around 6pm
