A STROKE of luck saved Payless Variety Store from being burnt to the ground, when the stores’ office erupted into flames around 8:30 hrs, yesterday.
The scene was chaotic at the store, which is located at 28 Stelling Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, as staff, police and two teams of firemen battled to save the merchandise, maintain order and control the fire.
The fire had started in the stores office but was prevented from spreading to the rest of the store through early detection.
Braving the smoke, the Guyana Chronicle managed to locate the store’s owner, Ms. Donna Ramkumar who, in a distressed state, was being consoled by a relative, who told her “You won’t lose everything, you have to have faith”.
After regaining a measure of composure, she disclosed that the stores employees were scheduled to attend a seminar on customer service, and it was only because her brother visited the store to collect some materials for the seminar that the fire was discovered.
This consideration brought a fresh burst of emotion from Ramkumar, who tearfully noted: “I could have been in a seminar and my store could have been burning down”. Responding to a comment about the store being saved by a ‘fluke’, she firmly said: “It was not a fluke; it was an act of God”.
As we spoke, firemen and staff were using sledgehammers and axes to break into the stores ceiling where the fire, which occurred because of a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit.
At that point it was not possible to tell the extent of the damage as helpers passed with furniture, electrical appliances and other goods, but it was noted that all the office computers, (a still shocked Ramkumar could not remember the amount) had been destroyed.
The store, which has been in business since 1996, has never suffered any fires, said Ramkumar, who noted that things would have been a disaster if not for the prompt and ready response of the two teams of firefighters from the Leonora and the Georgetown fire services.