…as generator explodes

PROMPT response by firefighters on Wednesday morning averted a major disaster at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus after an overheated generator exploded.
According to reports, the generator, which was housed in proximity to the Faculty of Health Sciences, was seen smoking followed by a loud explosion. A concrete structure was destroyed by the mid-morning inferno while a stairwell at the recently renovated faculty building was also damaged.

Reports are that the generator was being used to power an antenna operated by telecommunications company Digicel.
A student at the scene told this newspaper that he was walking downstairs at the faculty when he smelled a pungent scent. He said he later saw smoke and the grass near the generator was burning; an explosion occurred soon after.

Andrew Holder, Officer-in-Charge of Fire Prevention of the Guyana Fire Service, told reporters at the scene that the fire most likely started after the generator overheated. He explained that the tank used for the storage of fuel to power the generator was of poor quality. He said such tanks are usually used for transporting fuel rather than for storage for continuous use.
Holder said that the generator was running for a continuous period of time and after it overheated the plastic material which the storage tanks are made of caught afire. The fire subsequently ran into the generator and an explosion followed.

He could not say if the fire service was consulted as it relates to the set-up of the generator but according to him, he would not have recommended what availed. At the scene, bewildered students stared and discussed the incident as some classes at that section of the campus were cancelled during the morning session.

According to the University, Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, who is traveling on official business, he received a call earlier on Wednesday from the CEO of Digicel Guyana, Kevin Kelly, who apologised for the damage and the inconvenience caused to the university community by the fire. The Vice-Chancellor applauded the professionalism of members of the Guyana Fire Service. The cause of fire is under investigation.