A FIRE at Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara (ECD), caused by an unplugged, overloaded sponge chipping machine has left several buildings destroyed and damaged.
According to information from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), fire tenders were dispatched to Non Pariel around 09:42 hrs in response to reports of a fire.
“Water Tenders #105 and #106, Water Carrier #16, and Ambulance #23, along with their respective crews, were immediately dispatched to the scene. The water tenders arrived at 09:43 hrs, carrying a total of 9,274 liters of water. Firefighters began their operations at 09:44 hrs,” the GFS said.
The primary building where the fire started was a single-storey wooden and concrete building, owned by 48-year-old Mohammed Azad Ali, who lived there with three other persons.
Unfortunately, the fire completely destroyed the building and its contents, leaving the four occupants homeless.
“The fire was caused by an overloaded sponge chipping machine that had been left plugged in for an extended period. The machine’s motor overheated, igniting nearby combustible materials and eventually engulfing the entire building,” the GFS said.
Due to the intensity of the fire, four other buildings were also impacted. A storage bond located at Lot 25 Block 12, Non Pariel was destroyed due to the heat from the building of origin.
The external walls, a washing machine, a freezer, two tanks and a quantity of guttering and pipes of three neighbouring buildings, located at Lots 22, 26, and 27 Block 12, Non Pariel, suffered varying degrees of damage, also from the radiated heat.
“Firefighters initially used two jets from Water Carrier #16’s tank supply, then deployed two more jets from Light Pump #126, relayed through Water Tender #106, to fully extinguish the fire,” GFS said.