Investigators from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) are baffled by the fire that razed the Gafoor’s Huston Complex on Monday night, since that there was no electricity or any form of heat source to start the fire in the area where it started.
In providing an update, Officer-in-Charge of Operations at the GFS, Compton Sparman, has indicated that the investigation is ongoing as the fire service is trying to extinguish the debris and ensure that there is no fire before they withdraw completely.
“For the preliminary investigations we will have to talk to persons who last dwelled within the bond and who last locked the bond up because based on the preliminary investigation we spoke to persons, supervisors, they said that the bond was closed at 05:20pm (17:20h), and we got the call one hour after at 06:30pm (18:30h) and by the time we got here, the entire bond was already engulfed in flames,” he said.
He highlighted that the materials stored in the bond were titles and white cement and a small amount of Christmas decoration items.
When asked on whether Gafoor’s had implemented all fire precautions for the complex, he stated that they were implemented partially.
“We recommend that they do solid concrete walls, what we call them is partition walls so if you have a fire, it would be contained and that was done,” he noted.
Chief Executive Officer of Gafoor’s, Abdool Sattaur Gafoor, had indicated that the company was now recuperating from the effects of the previous fire and they had ordered the sprinklers from overseas and that it was expected to arrive shortly.
Gafoor was unable to remain stoic as part of his multibillion-dollar complex went up in flames for a second time within four months. He said that he was talking to his bond manager when another employee interrupted them about a fire in Bond Six, where tiles and white cement were stored.
According to Gafoor, he did everything to prevent a second occurrence of the May 18, 2016, fire which ravaged through several sections of the complex.
(Photos by Carl Croker)
