THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is currently looking at two theories as part of the investigation into Saturday’s fire that completely destroyed the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.
This was disclosed by Chief Fire Officer Kalamadeen Edoo in an interview with this publication on Monday.
Quick work by firefighters saved the portion of the building where the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is located.
In addition to the OPR, the Construction Department and Stores were destroyed in the blaze.
According to Edoo, the investigation is coming to a close and with the utilisation of evidence found at the scene and statements from witnesses, an announcement on the cause of the fire is imminent.
“We are looking at multiple theories based on interviews that we had with ranks within and outside of the department, coupled with the assessment of the building. So, we compiled all the information and that’s how we were able to conclude,” Edoo said.
On Sunday, the Fire Chief disclosed that several ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were questioned in a bid to accumulate information that could be used to clarify the circumstances surrounding the fire.
He disclosed that all of the ranks who reside in the barracks where the fire started, were questioned.
“We’re just questioning police ranks who were around and who were occupying those quarters, and we’re questioning them because so far we know it’s upstairs the fire started,” said Edoo.
The fire is the second major disaster for the force as a few weeks ago, 80 per cent of the Brickdam Police Station was destroyed following an act of arson.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, has expressed belief that there is a possibility that the fires are politically motivated. He referenced recent threats made by Guyanese living in the United States to support his conclusion.
“It appears that we are experiencing a trial by fire again in Guyana. I have said publicly that it appears that a subliminal message is being put around the country starting from some pyrotechnic- minded person in the United States and that maybe perhaps, much more than likely, that the incidents that we see and the timings at which they occur, are related to those more than subliminal messages about ‘Georgetown will burn if the PPP don’t do whatever’,” Minister Benn had told the press at the scene of the fire.
Meanwhile, Minister Benn on Saturday had reiterated that the government will not allow intimidation to hinder its plans for development of the country. He noted that plans will be put in place to promote more vigilance at public buildings.
“We will stand firm; we will make sure the work of our government and the development of our country proceed. Going forward, we have to be much more vigilant throughout all of the services we provide and we have to make everyone aware of the risk fire poses — not only to the lives of individual people and their employment, but also the proper functioning and the working of our government and our achieving our pathway of sustainable development.”
