By Alva Solomon

FIRE suspected to be electrical in origin on Wednesday gutted the building which housed the former Sheriff Nightclub on Sheriff Street,Campbellville in the city, erasing the historical structure whose owners were viewed as pioneers in local night life entertainment in the 1990s.

Reports are that around 15:00hrs, smoke was seen emanating from the unoccupied building at Lot 10 Sheriff Street by persons in the vicinity and after an alarm was raised, fire tenders raced to the scene as police redirected traffic from the busy Sheriff Street. The fire was eventually contained some two hours later as fire fighters faced challenges posed by the heavy grill work in the upper portion of the building, as well as persistent windy conditions and low water levels.

The building was used as a base for the taxi service and housed the defunct Sheriff Restaurant and Bar which ceased operations while the building was in the process of being sold. The building is owned by Deolall Sankar, a relative of the previous owners, the Bacchus family, who raised the business which publicised the spot from a small entertainment hub to what was considered one of the first live entertainment spots on the busy street.

Fire Officer Compton Sparman told reporters that several fire tenders were dispatched to the scene when the fire department was alerted. As in other occasions, the firemen encountered problems sourcing water and according to Sparman, two fire tenders from the Central Fire Station at Stabroek which were on the scene are equipped to ferry 4000 gallons and 100 gallons of water respectively and they assisted in containing the fire.

“When we arrived here also we encountered some problems because of the heat and the fire was spreading rapidly”, he said and this may be attributed to the dry season.

Sparman noted too that at one point the fire was out of control, noting that the grill work on the building was also an obstacle facing the firemen. He noted however, that the firemen were equipped to handle the situation as it persisted. He said an investigation will follow the fire’s containment. Sankar told this newspaper that he heard of the fire around 3:15 pm yesterday and made his way to the scene.

He said the building was partially insured and he was in discussion with another businessman who had plans to open a pharmacy at the building on a long-term arrangement. David Bacchus Jr, a relative of the previous owners told the media that the vacant building was valued in excess of $100M.

The firemen were faced with thick smoke which engulfed the entire top flat of the building. The windows around the building were broken by the firemen while efforts were made to stem the blaze from the sides of the structure. While this was in progress, firemen were busy leading their hoses to the canals in the area, including one along Durey Lane.

The fire drew a large gathering as persons were on their way home from Phagwah celebrations, while others followed the thick smoke out of curiosity. Persons milled around with their mobile phones recording the action as police controlled traffic along the busy roadway.