PRESIDENT David Granger and the Government of Guyana have empathised with Sattaur Gafoor, the Gafoor family, and members and staff of the company on their recent loss due to fire at the company’s Houston complex on Monday.In a statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, Government said it regrets “the tremendous financial loss, and is deeply concerned about the hundreds of workers that have been displaced due to this disastrous event.”

The ministry said Gafsons Industries Limited is an iconic member of Guyana’s corporate community, and its presence is extremely important to the economic health of the nation.

“The Government of Guyana is profoundly saddened (by the event) and extends wishes for a speedy rebuilding process.”

The massive fire, said to be electrical in origin, gutted the Gafoor’s business Complex at Houston, Greater Georgetown on Monday afternoon just as staffers were preparing to sign off work for the day, leaving in its wake billions of dollars in losses and hundreds of persons jobless.

Recorded as one of the largest and most costly fires in recent years, the conflagration reduced to rubble several bonds and electrical and other departments, including an administrative block of the hardware giant.

Thick black smoke swirled in the air as the fire ripped through the bonds, seven of which it devoured as it did the offices and hardware departments at the front of the complex. A section of the complex which was under construction was at one point threatened by the flames before the fire was contained some three hours later.

Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told the media that the Guyana Fire Service received a call at about 15:50hrs, detailing that thick smoke was emanating from the roof of the complex. Fire units were dispatched from the Central Fire Station at Stabroek and the West Ruimveldt outpost, but when the units arrived at Houston, the firemen reported that the fire was beginning to spread rapidly.

“We went up to second and third alarm and ramped all of the available resources in Georgetown that are here right now,” Gentle said. He told the media that the firemen were in control of the fire, at around 19:00hrs last evening, but the heat was intense.

“It’s a bond with various types of combustibles,” he said as he explained why the fire was generating such tremendous heat.

Gentle noted that there were some safety concerns at the scene of the fire, one of which was the layout of the building while the other was the items stored therein, both of which were preventing the firemen from reacting to the situation as readily as they would have liked.

He said the firemen were working to prevent the fire from reaching the wharf aback the complex and close to the Demerara River.