The Guyana Fire Service is yet to determine the cause of the fire which destroyed Regent Household and Electronics on Regent Street, Georgetown, on Wednesday, while firefighters remained at the scene yesterday conducting mopping-up operations.
In an update, the service said an investigation is ongoing into the blaze at Lots 143–144, which destroyed the building and its contents.
The fire service cautioned that smoke could continue to emerge from sections of the structure because of highly combustible materials and residual heat within the debris. It urged members of the public to avoid the immediate area to allow firefighters to complete their work safely.
According to the service, firefighters arrived on Wednesday to find the building engulfed in flames and a nearby structure under threat. Seven firefighting appliances from the Campbellville and Eccles fire stations and Fire Service Headquarters were deployed. The blaze was brought under control and prevented from spreading to neighbouring structures, it said.
Kiskadee Watch reported yesterday that Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dwayne Scotland, speaking during a fire service live broadcast, said the report was received at approximately 1.03 pm and firefighters arrived within three minutes. He said the blaze had been contained to the approximately three-storey building.
Most businesses along the affected section of Regent Street closed during the fire, while the Guyana Power and Light disconnected electricity in the area as a precaution. Police assisted with crowd control.
The owners of the building linked the fire to low voltage and blackouts the area has been experiencing lately.
Regent Household Electronics had previously been destroyed by fire on October 9, 2009. Stabroek News reported at the time that the blaze also destroyed a bond behind the store and the upper two floors of the neighbouring building housing DM Sales Beauty World. The cause of that fire was subsequently recorded as unknown, with investigators citing insufficient evidence owing to the extent of the destruction.
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