FIRE fighters received high praise on Friday for their swift response to what could have resulted into a major blaze at the Nirva Super Store on Sherriff Street, Georgetown.
A fire broke out at the store at around 07:55hrs, attracting the attention of the employees who were reporting to duty at the time. According to one of the employees, she along with several of her colleagues went into work at about 07:55hrs. They then went upstairs and raised the shutter and was greeted by smoke. The terrified employees then exited the building. Luckily, a firefighter who was about to shop at the store questioned the employees about the smoke emanating from the store. He showed his badge so they allowed him to go into the building. He then called the Fire Service .

A fire warden told the Guyana Chronicle that the control room at the Central Fire Station received a report that the store was on fire. Immediately a dispatch was made, allowing a fire tender 84 and a water carrier 11 from the Central Fire Sation to proceed to the location of the store. When they arrived, they noticed that smoke was coming from an office on the first floor. He explained that gaining access into the office was a difficult task but wasn’t impossible. Once access was gained, they observed that there was fire prorogating in the office. The fire was contained and extinguished. They noticed that the microwave was plugged in, which may have led to the fire. Investigations are still ongoing.
The Guyana Chronicle was told that the building is not connected to GPL and is continually powered by a generator owned by Tony Ramkumar, who is the owner of the store. Rani Ramkumar, who is the owner’s wife, expressed sincere gratitude to the firefighters for responding in a timely manner.