AN early morning fire gutted the Moon Supermarket, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara Public Road on Wednesday, leaving millions of dollars in losses of food and other items.

The fire, which started around 05:00hrs, quickly spread and destroyed the building and threatened a storage bond at the back of the business as well as another building next door.

According to information received, the building housing the business was rented from a Guyanese businessman by a group of Chinese nationals who used it as a living quarter and to operate the supermarket.

It is unclear what activities took place in the upper flat of the building.
Guyana Chronicle was, however, told that when the fire started, there were four occupants in the building at the time, among them a child.

One of the Chinese nationals told this publication that the child was rushed to a hospital after being rescued from the burning building.

When this newspaper arrived at the scene, many persons were there observing the firemen as they try to put out the blaze. Residents say they heard loud explosions coming from within the building prior to the fire.

When the fire was contained and it was safe for the firefighters to enter the building, a number of gas cylinders were removed from the premises.

In the process of putting out the fire, the firefighters were forced to use water from a canal which was heavily clogged. At the scene, police and firefighters were seen interviewing persons as it relates to the building and the nature of operations conducted there. The police were also vigilant against looters.
The owner of the building related that he has been renting the facility to the Chinese nationals for the past year.

Guyana Chronicle was unable to ascertain if the building was insured. The businessman appeared very lost and distressed as he watched his building go up in flames. A crew from the Guyana Power and Light was also present at the scene and disconnected the power supply to the area, allowing the firefighters to battle the blaze uninterruptedly. The Guyana Fire Service has launched an investigation into the incident.