-PM Phillips assures, says residents will be relocated to shelters if necessary

PRIME Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill were on Tuesday provided with a comprehensive overview of the current situation in Amelia’s Ward, Linden, where a fire has been burning for several days now.

The two government officials were at the time visiting the Waaldijk Sawmill where the blaze had erupted.

PM Phillips has since affirmed that the government will continue to work on providing the requisite equipment and resources to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), and the private operators who have been instrumental in containing the fire.

He stated that although they have successfully contained the fire, the efforts to extinguish the fire are ongoing. He said that the area is being doused with water to suppress the fire and ultimately extinguish it.

The prime minister stated that although he was overseas at the time of the disaster, he wishes to assure all residents of Linden that the government will exhaust all efforts to provide relief to those affected.

“We’ve been able to contain the fire. What we are going to do now is continue our efforts to suppress the smoke that is affecting the people that are living in proximity to the location of the fire.
From the government standpoint, we are treating this as a man-made disaster, and therefore, as the national coordinator for disasters in Guyana, I am here…with Minister Edghill, who is always on the ground,” he said.

Further, he stressed that if the situation escalates and the smoke intensifies, the government will be compelled to relocate individuals to shelters that the CDC has already designated.

Noting that the health of the residents is their number one priority, he emphasised that the government is prepped and ready to assist the affected communities.

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill assured Lindeners that no one should worry about being neglected or the fire spreading.

According to him, “Just to assure all of Linden, there is nothing more that can be done that is not done.”

Minister Edghill stated that while the government is providing support and resources to the firefighters and other key individuals on the ground, it is imperative that the fire department be commended for maintaining its course in the exercise since the fire started.

“There was a coming together of private sector and government resources to deal with the issue. People might not appreciate it, but what they did was dig all around and isolate the burning area from everything else.

“There is a distinguished Lindener that I must mention, and that is Mr. Andrew Forester, who has taken on a role in this situation that is remarkable, and I must thank him,” he added.

Furthermore, the PM and Minister Edghill both expressed their appreciation to the GFS, CDC, GWI, and private operators for their exceptional efforts in mobilising resources and going above and beyond to ensure that the fire was contained in a single area.
Residents who are impacted by the smoke inhalation are also encouraged to wear their masks daily until the situation is completely under control.

Finally, the region, the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), the government, and the sawmillers were encouraged by the EPA representative who was also present on the site on Tuesday morning to collaborate and develop a strategy to prevent a similar situation from reoccurring.

The minister also noted that one of the primary objectives is to identify alternate locations for the disposal of sawmill waste and garbage.

Both government officials were optimistic that the fire will be completely under control in time for Linden Town week, which is set to be held in less than two weeks’ time.