A DEVASTATING mid-afternoon blaze on Thursday, at James Street, Albouystown, between Hill and Albouys Streets, has left more than 30 persons without homes and belongings.
According to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), six fire tenders were deployed to battle the inferno, utilising hydrants, open water sources, and bowsers. To ensure the safety of emergency crews, the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) was called in to disconnect electricity in the area.
In the aftermath of the disaster, several former government ministers—including Robeson Benn; Bishop Juan Edghill; and Dr. Vindhya Persaud—visited the community to coordinate immediate relief measures.
The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) swiftly operationalised a temporary shelter at the Six Head Lewis Gym, located at Callender and Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, to accommodate the displaced families.
On Friday, Divisional Officer of the GFS, Andrew Holder, visited the site and provided an update on ongoing efforts. He explained that firefighters were still working to fully extinguish remnants of the blaze while clearing rubble to allow residents access to their properties.
“Aside from that, I’m trying to create a pathway so that persons can access whatever they want to access and then later on in the day we’ll try to remove these rubbles from the site,” Holder said.
Supporting these efforts, a team from the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Utility Section was also on the ground, assisting with the removal of debris from the roadway. In a statement posted to its official Facebook page, the Ministry emphasised that the clean-up initiative was aimed at helping the Albouystown community begin the process of recovery while ensuring safety and accessibility for residents.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.