THREE of six employees, whose place of employment was destroyed when an early morning fire gutted a furniture factory and left losses estimated at $20M, at Plantation Caracas, Greater New Amsterdam, Berbice, will be re-employed, temporarily, to assist in clearing the debris. In addition, customers who had made financial advances on orders, will be reimbursed in the shortest possible time, Manager/Supervisor Muniram Tarachand announced Monday.
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle at the burnt out site, the man who has been at the helm of the business for six years, following its relocation from  Pitt Street, New Amsterdam, where it had operated for the previous 14 years, said the blaze was a serious blow, as the entity had anticipated increased business for the festive season.
Last Saturday, shortly after 01:00 h, Tarachand and the owner, William Leung, were awakened at their Pitt Street residence by a telephone caller who had seen smoke emanating from  the factory.
Tarachand said, on their arrival, Leung opened a door and, on entering the lower flat of the two-storey building, they saw flames flickering along the electrical wiring and igniting mouldings and sawdust below.
They tried with buckets of water but were unable to extinguish the conflagration.
The Fire Service responded quickly and used water from a nearby canal but Tarachand said the firefighters need to be more skillful.
He said, apart from the factory, a plainer, table saws, joiners, radial arm saws and many electrical hand tools and an unoccupied but fully furnished three-bedroom upper flat were totally  destroyed.
However, he is optimistic that they will resume operations as the 38 feet by 42 feet place was insured.