A fire of unknown origin yesterday morning gutted the upper flat of Regent Guest House, located on Regent Street, Bourda.
The fire reportedly started around 02.55 hrs at Lot 148 Regent Street. A quick response by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) prevented the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, which also house businesses.
A total of 12 persons occupied the guest house, situated between Albert and Oronoque Streets. Other businesses are also housed in the building.
At the scene yesterday, Cadet Officer Javeed Mohammed, Second-in-charge of the Central Fire Station’s Fire Prevention Department told reporters that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire. “Currently, the fire prevention team here is carrying out investigations. We can’t give you the cause as yet,” Mohamed said.
He explained that upon receiving the call about the fire, four fire tenders were dispatched to the scene. “They responded. Right away they went into firefighting activities and they tried their best [towards] containing the fire from spreading to the other buildings,” Mohamed said.
“Four jets working a water relay system from an open water source along with a hydrant were used to extinguish the fire,” the GFS said in a release yesterday.
According to the GFS, firefighters experienced difficulty gaining access to the building since it was heavily grilled.
Mohamed said preliminary investigations revealed that the fire started in the top flat of the building.
The building had three flats. The two other flats suffered mostly water damage, Mohamed told the media.
Meanwhile, the GFS said a number of other items including a water tank, a quantity of PVC ceiling and gutters were destroyed due to the radiated heat from the fire.
When Sunday Stabroek visited the scene yesterday, persons who frequent the business were tightlipped. Many claimed they do not speak English.
The owner of the business was present at the scene. However, he refused to comment.
Persons who claimed to be relatives and friends of the owner of the business gathered to lend a helping hand to remove valuables from the building.
The valuables were taken out of the building and placed in trucks to be taken to an unknown location.
