By Vishani Ragobeer

A FIRE believed to be electrical in origin on Sunday ravaged the iConnect Store located in the bottom flat of the multi-complex building at 144 Regent Street, between Camp and Alexander Streets, Georgetown. The fire reportedly erupted around 15:00hrs.

Owner of the store Avinash Ramnarine said he was informed of the fire and when he arrived at the scene, significant damage was already done to the building.
Ramnarine, who has been vending at the store for the past several years, believes that the blaze was caused by a faulty electrical wiring in the store.
“We were always getting a spark,” he said, relating that several complaints were made to the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and to the landlord of the complex prior to the incident.
The fire destroyed cellphones and cellphone accessories, including stocks brought in for the Christmas season. These amount to millions of dollars, the businessman said, as he noted that the business was not insured.
No other establishment within the complex was harmed by the fire, but the water used to extinguish the fire caused damage to products including clothes and few electrical items from the LindoStar Wholesale and Retail Store.

Divisional Officer in Charge Compton Sparman told the Guyana Chronicle that details surrounding the origin of the fire are sketchy, but he believes that it was electrical in nature.
The fire service responded promptly to the call and was able to prevent the fire from spreading to the other establishments in the complex.