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Fire averted at Labour Ministry
A staff member points to the area where the fire was seen
The alertness of residents coupled with evasive action was instrumental in averting a fiery disaster at the Ministry of Labour’s Brickdam Office yesterday afternoon.
The short-lived flare-up which was believed to be electrical in origin was first detected by some of the young residents of the Drop-In Centre.
At around 14:45 hours the fire was see emanating from a meter situated at the back of the bottom flat of the two-storey building.
The children raised an alarm, alerting neighbouring residents and Chief Labour Officer, Mr Yoganand Persaud, who immediately turned off the building’s main switch, a move which reduced the threat significantly. “I heard the children screaming fire at the back.
They saw it first and they came to the front and told us and I just run upstairs and turned off the main switch.”
Persaud also sought to have the building evacuated on learning of the potential threat after which the fire service and the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) were summoned.
By this time workmen undertaking works next door at the Palms Senior Citizens Home rushed over with a ‘Bobcat’ loaded with sand which was used to douse the flames.
Another person had also arrived on the scene with a fire extinguisher, Persaud informed. The fire was effectively contained before a fire engine arrived on the scene, a mere five minutes after it was summoned.
“They reached really fast…The response was excellent…and they wasted no time but the fire was already extinguished. They told us that we did the right thing,” Persaud added.
Word of the fire reached to the Labour Ministry’s Cornhill headquarters soon after, causing Permanent Secretary Trevor Thomas to rush down to assess the situation.
According to Thomas he was pleasantly surprised with the response by the fire service and was pleased that the building suffered no damage.
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