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Fire razes mattress factory at Eccles
A fire of unknown origin razed the Foam Plus Enterprises building at Lot 51 Eccles Industrial Site shortly before midnight, Monday.
An external view of the structure
Owner of the facility, Faizal Alli, said that losses are in the millions of dollars. He explained that the cost of the machinery alone was high, with one piece of equipment being acquired for US$35,000.
The fire also comes at a bad time “with Christmas just around the corner,” noted Alli.
Suspicions surround the idea that the fire was electrical in origin.
Speaking with Kaieteur News, Alli explained that he received a call at about midnight, informing him that the building was on fire. The call came from a cousin who happened to get a call from a security guard working in the vicinity.
Alli said that it was unfortunate that the caller did not have his telephone number because a lot of time was lost.
The gutted interior of the building that housed Foam Plus Enterprises.
He said that by the time he arrived on the scene, the fire service was already present, attempting to extinguish the blaze.
Initially, the firemen were thwarted by a steel door that prevented them from gaining access to the building. Alli said that had he been able to arrive earlier, he would have opened the door and might have saved some of the equipment or the building.
Eventually, the fire service resorted to breaking down one of the walls to gain access to the inside of the burning building.
Mr Alli said that millions of dollars in foam and finished mattresses, pillows and fabric went up in flames. The numerous fire extinguishers on site were useless because no one was there to operate them.
Early yesterday morning, the insurance company was at the scene of the fire to assess the damage as was an investigator from the Guyana Fire Service.
Mr Alli said that he intends to rebuild and while the insurance will not cover the cost of the destruction, he will not lie down.
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