Investigation ongoing
INVESTIGATORS from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the Guyana Police Force are yet to determine the cause of a fire which broke out at the Ramada Princess Hotel and Casino at Providence, East Bank Demerara last Sunday.

This was confirmed by the Fire Chief, Gregory Wickham, who said, in an interview with Guyana Chronicle on Friday, that the investigation is ongoing.
“It is not available as yet. We thought that we would have been able to complete the investigation by Wednesday (September 27), but we weren’t able to do so,” he told this newspaper.
The Fire Chief pointed out that fire investigators are still going through their reports, after which the cause of the fire should be known.

A fire investigation can take a long time due to safety concerns, the complex nature of fires, the meticulous gathering and analysis of physical evidence, collaboration with experts, legal processes, and various administrative factors that contribute to a thorough and accurate investigation.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that, on Sunday, September 23, fire broke out on the fourth floor in room 431 of the six-storey building, which houses 194 rooms and a casino.
According to a statement from the GFS, at the time of the fire, the hotel had 293 adults and four children registered as guests, most of whom were in Guyana for the Cricket Carnival and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches.

“Smoke was observed emanating from the eastern side of the building which triggered the fire alarm and sprinkler systems… The Fire Department was called and informed of the fire at 22:47hrs.,” the statement said.

Eccles, Diamond, Central, and West Ruimveldt Fire Stations dispatched water tenders, water carriers, a hydraulic platform (HP), three ambulances, and personnel to the scene.
The first truck arrived at 22:54hrs, and, under the command of Fire Chief Gregory Wickham, 28 firefighting personnel successfully evacuated all hotel guests and promptly contained the blaze.
Emergency Medical Technicians transported one guest to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for treatment for smoke inhalation, and no serious injuries or casualties were reported.

Firefighting operations concluded at 03:10hrs on Sunday, with significant damage in the room of origin and adjacent rooms (433 and 435). Firefighters employed two lines working from water carrier #14, water tender #116, HP #2, and an open-water source to extinguish the fire.
The management of the hotel, in a statement, had said that it was working with the authorities to organise a plan to deal with issues that the hotel’s guests face at this time.
The Hotel is currently closed until further notice owing to the extensive damage caused by the fire.