Sole source of income, entire life-savings gone
What’s left of Sharon’s Mall after Wednesday’s fire
What’s left of Sharon’s Mall after Wednesday’s fire

–tenants of ravaged Sharon’s Mall recall, as smoke billowed from the rubble

TENANTS, including businessowners and lawyers, watched in dismay on Thursday as smoke continued to billow from what once was a facility that housed their livelihood, the Sharon’s Mall.
On Wednesday, fire blazed from the Mall, destroying everything in its path and leaving a scene unfitting for the weak-hearted.
With millions in losses and nowhere to turn to immediately, businessowners could only watch and, in some cases, cry.
Owner of “Coffee House”, Shenelly King, was in complete shock as she visited the site and saw that the building was completely ravaged.
She said that her business, which she has been running for just under a year, was the only source of income for not just her, but her two employees as well.

In recalling the moment she learnt of the fire, King said: “I wasn’t here when the fire broke out; I had already left, because I’m normally the first person to be here, out of all the tenants. And that is around 06:15 – 06:30 hours, because I make breakfast. So, I normally leave early. I left and I went home, and at about ‘four something’, I got a call from one of the other tenants telling me that the building is on fire.” She related that since she was not at the building when the fire broke out, she was unable to save any of her equipment, which she estimates to cost just over $1 million. Natasha Rafferty, owner of Step-In-Style Boutique, said that she, like many of the other tenants, had already made her way home, when she was alerted about the fire.
The businesswoman estimates her losses to be around $4 million. And, for her, this is no ordinary loss, as the capital for her business was gotten from her and her daughter’s life-savings.

ALREADY HOME
“We were already home when we got the news that there was a little smoke coming out, but by the time we reach back, because we were all the way on the East Coast, it wasn’t that bad. But we stood and we heard the explosion; and the entire building catch fire… We got some stuff out, but them things ain’t good; smoke and everything fall on them, so we couldn’t save any of them for future use,” a distraught Rafferty said. She said that one of the major items she sold at the business were high-fashion ‘prom’ dresses, which she estimates to cost around $100,000 or more per piece. She noted that the business was the only source of income for her and her daughter, and that the fire has not just caused them to lose their investment, but also placed them in the unemployment line.

The four-storey building, located at King and Charlotte Streets, in downtown Georgetown, was gutted by a fire suspected to be electrical in origin, and has left in its wake millions of dollars in damage. Smoke was first spotted around 17:00 hours, but the firemen who responded were unable to access the building for about two hours. Flames were spotted around 19:00 hours.
This publication understands that a staffer recalled smelling smoke around 11:00 hours on Wednesday, but passed it off as a smell coming from somewhere outside of the building. By 17:00 hours, the building was filled with smoke, and persons who were still there were forced to hurriedly evacuate the building.
A call was placed to the Guyana Fire Service at 17:00 hours, and several fire tenders were dispatched to the scene.

THICK SMOKE
Up until 19:00 hours, thick dark smoke was seen emanating from the building. Then suddenly, the glass of several windows shattered and flames were spotted. Within minutes, the third and fourth floors were engulfed in flames.
Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo explained that due to the fire travelling through the ceiling of the building, it was extremely dangerous for the ranks of the fire service to go charging into the building before ascertaining what sections of the facility were affected.
He noted that had the firemen gone into the building without ascertaining where the fire was, it could have put their lives at risk.
He also acknowledged that there was a significant level of smoke emanating from the building, which would have not just impaired the vision of the ranks, but also affected their ability to breathe during the operation.

“Because of the thick level of smoke, that’s the reason the firefighters could not get into the building. While we have a job to do, safety is also a priority; the firefighters’ lives are still important. So, whenever we advance, we advance with precaution, to prevent any further danger to themselves and their other colleagues,” Edoo said.
The fire chief, who also charged into the building to help control the fire, stated that although the ranks are all experienced, the scene of the fire on Wednesday was extremely difficult to manoeuvre. However, their training kicked in, and the ranks managed to take action.
“All you think about is bringing the fire under control, and saving someone’s life, even though it is a danger you risk yourselves to save someone’s life or save a building from going up in flames,” the Fire Chief said.

RUMOURS
The Fire Chief dispelled the rumour that the fire tenders arrived at the site of the fire with no water. He explained that the fire tenders that go to any fire site all have water, but it is important that the fire service locates a source of running water, so that it would be able to properly control the blaze.
“If they said the fire trucks have limited water, I would accept that one but at no time the fire service goes to any fire scene without water, and that would never happen,” he said.
The fire chief added: “If you as an officer on the ground or the supervisor and you’re going with 400 gallons of water in the fire tank, and you see that the entire building is engulfed in flames, immediately you have to make an assessment while you’re proceeding to the scene.
“From that assessment you would already know that the 400 gallons of water that you’re going with can’t fight that fire, immediately you have to think about a plan B which is an open source or a fire hydrant, where you can get a continuous source of water until the fire is extinguished.”
Meanwhile, he noted that the fire service is still in the process of completing its investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

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