CHIEF Fire Officer Marlon Gentle confirmed yesterday that the blaze at the Mashramani Secretariat building, in Middle Street, Georgetown, on Monday, was electrical in origin. In a telephone interview, he said investigations revealed that, earlier that day, there was some activity which involved fixing an electricity fuse at the place.
Gentle said it was revealed that the fuse might have caused overheating and resulted in the rubber coating on wire to melt and come into contact with combustible material.
The Fire Chief said it all started in a room with an air-conditioning unit and a television cord.
The extent of the damage has not yet been ascertained but, based on what this newspaper learnt, the fire started in the office of Director of Sports, Neil Kumar.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) responded to the call promptly, with two tenders and brought the situation under control.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony and senior officers of the ministry were at the scene as police cordoned off the area.
At this time of the year, the office located on the premises is extremely busy with preparations for next month’s Mashramani celebrations.