~ Principal says school will be repaired in time for new school year

QUICK thinking by a security guard to turn off the main electrical switch, amid a fire at Chase’s Academy on Parade Street, Kingston Georgetown, managed to keep the fire under some control until the fire service arrived.

In the wee hours of Tuesday, William Arthur, a security guard who was on duty, jumped into swift action after he observed smoke emanating from the staff room of the secondary school.
Arthur, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle stated, ” Well I was at my post on the corridor and I noticed smoke emanating from downstairs so when I came down I saw fire so common sense tell me to turn off the main switch.”

He noted that, when he turned off the main switch, the fire had appeared to have died down. He made several unsuccessful attempts to open the door to the room that was on fire.
“When I turned off the main switch the smoke died down a little not totally. I was then trying to pry open the door because at the then time it was manageable,” the man said.
Arthur related that he was unable to call the fire service. However he alerted a neighbour who contacted the Guyana Fire Service.

However, the man related that if the fire service had arrived 15 minutes earlier the fire could have been contained to the bottom flat of the building.

Meanwhile, Mr. Henry Chase, founder and Principal of the school, disclosed that his office along with his secretary’s office, the staff room and two classrooms, were destroyed by the blaze.
He noted that the quick response of the security guard and the fire service limited the fire to only one building.

He noted that he was alerted about the fire early Tuesday morning and rushed to his school where he met fire fighters battling with the flames, “I got a call around 02:15 hours. When I came the fire was spreading; the fire tender and fire fighters were here.”

Luckily, Mr. Chase stated that the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination was completed so students will not be affected.
Nevertheless, Mr. Chase noted that he is in the process of examining his losses and will soon commence repairs to usher in the new school term next month.
“We are in the process of examining the extent of the damage and we will begin shortly repairs so that we can finish for school reopening in September,” he said.
The origin of the fire is still unknown as ranks of the GFS are still investigating.