An early morning fire of unknown origin wreaked havoc at Golden Grove, Public Road on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), destroying the WuHu one-stop Chinese supermarket today.
Reports indicate that the fire started around 3:45hrs.
When INews arrived on the scene, Chinese nationals who occupied a section of the building were seen running out of the burning building.
The security officer assigned to the business premises stated that at approximately 3:40hrs, while conducting checks in front of the building, he heard unusual sounds.
Explaining that it sounded like someone was cooking, the security guard explained that it was odd for persons to be cooking at that hour. As such, the guard said he attempted to contact the Chinese nationals via WhatsApp message.
His suspicions were aroused when the message failed to deliver.
The security officer said he then left his post and went to the side of the building, where he observed smoke emanating from the top.
Despite shouting for the Chinese nationals, there was no response. Consequently, he resorted to banging on the steel doors with a large object to alert them.
“I was hitting for some time, and that’s when they got up and ran out of the building. Within two minutes, the whole building was on fire. Just two minutes more, and they might have been trapped inside,” the security officer recounted.
Meanwhile, INews learned that the supermarket had only been operational for about two months now. Four Chinese nationals have been displaced as a result of the fire.
An investigation is underway.
