FOLLOWING last Thursday’s fire which consumed a two-storey building that housed a storage bond at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle said the cause of the conflagration is still be to ascertained.

He added that the probe is still active, so he cannot make a pronouncement until the investigation is completed.

The Fire Chief noted that they have not ruled out anything, but no one was at the premises when the fire started on the evening of February 18 at about 22:30 hrs.

Gentle stated that the top flat was the living quarters, which was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and the lower flat was converted into a tyre bond.

The building, which was used to store a large quantity of tyres and electrical appliances, is said to be owned by two brothers who reside overseas.

The business was managed by local employees, and no-one could say how the fire started but stated that millions of dollars in stock was destroyed in the blaze.

However, the Guyana Fire Service managed to contain the blaze, even though there was minimal water in the nearby trenches as a result of the dry season.

Villagers recalled smelling the pungent odour of burning tyres and hearing explosions, after which they observed thick smoke and fire emanating from the building. The entire structure was reduced to a pile of rubble within minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate fire on Tuesday, two autistic brothers were saved from a heavily grilled and secured house at 206 Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown, when a blaze erupted in the kitchen area.

The fire started after a ‘hot-plate’ was left plugged in and reportedly overheated. Neighbours summoned the GFS but managed after some difficulty to rescue the siblings from the house. The fire was contained to the kitchen area.