THE Guyana Fire Service, on Thursday, has confirmed arson as the cause of the fire that completely destroyed the Brickdam Police Station on October 2, 2021. This was disclosed by Fire Prevention Officer and lead investigator into the Brickdam Fire, Sheldon Sauns.
The Brickdam Police Station was the headquarters for the Guyana Police Force’s Regional Police Division Four ‘A’ that housed the office of the regional commander.

The findings of the investigation come mere days after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) released information indicating an alleged confession by 26-year-old Clarence Greene that he set the fire that ravaged the Brickdam Police Station.

Sauns, during a press conference on Thursday, said the conclusion reached into the origin of the fire was drawn from “feasible information” gathered by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) investigations coupled with samples from the site of the fire.

The GFS noted that the fire started in the Fraud Department, which is located on the second floor of the administrative building.
The devastating fire, reportedly started in the eastern section of the compound at 11:06 hours, on October 2 and destroyed more than 80 per cent of the structures, including the Property Room, Inquires Office, Traffic Department and Officers’ Mess Hall.

The Fire Prevention Officer noted that while no sponge was found at the site of the fire, other materials found at the site confirmed arson as the cause of the fire, stating: “The samples were some paper, wood; we found bits and pieces of cloth, if you’re asking directly if we found sponge, no, but we found part of a lighter, and that was around the fraud section.”

He noted that the fire service investigation begun on October 2, 2021, just mere hours after the fire had had been extinguished, with arson being labelled a suspected cause of the fire.

Sauns also pointed out that the fire service investigation is currently at 85 per cent completed.
Meanwhile, to continue providing services to the people of Georgetown, temporary police offices have been established at the tarmac of the nearby St. Stanislaus College. At the new location, reports and other police-related matters are dealt with. This development resulted from collaboration between the Ministries of Home Affairs and Education.

The St. Stanislaus College is located on the western side of the Brickdam Police Station compound, with the thoroughfare, Manget Place, separating the two premises.
The Brickdam Police Station housed 398 ranks belonging to the Commander’s Office, Traffic, Impact Base and CID.

Commander of Police Division Four ‘A’, Assistant Commissioner, Simon Mc Bean, has assured that while the station will be operating out of a temporary location, none of the services it usually offers has been disrupted.

“So far we have been able to respond to the needs of citizens from the centre. Persons coming to make reports, they have been able to make their reports and they were responded to; traffic accidents are reported and responded to, and our detectives are working. All our patrols are out so we have been able to respond to the public, providing services as we normally do,” he said.