Latest update January 17th, 2025 6:30 AM
Farmers save Mahaica palace from destruction by fire
– police hunt suspected arsonist
Quick and decisive action by farmers in the East Coast Demerara village of Good Hope, Mahaica, saved a famous landmark from destruction by fire.
The fire, which was allegedly the work of a disgruntled ex-employee, destroyed a section of the bottom flat of the palace owned by businessman Gopaul Boojraj and which houses the Rohan Auto Spares.
While the owner of the property was too preoccupied to speak with this newspaper yesterday, Kaieteur News was told that the ex-employee was apparently angry at being fired about a month ago and had threatened to get even with Boojraj.
According to a source, around 15:00 hours, the ex-employee was seen by another worker throwing a flammable object through a bottom flat window which was left open.
The worker shouted at the ex-employee and even chased after him in a vehicle, but the man managed to make good his escape.
Police are confident that the alleged perpetrator would be apprehended, since a full description of him was obtained.
Meanwhile, residents who responded to the fire alarm that was raised, used their agricultural pumps to fight the fire and quickly extinguished it before major damage could be done.
“Is see I see de smoke and run out fuh help,” one resident told this newspaper.
A section of the building which was damaged by the fire.
“They had about six pumps wukkin fuh out de fire,” he added.
Again the resident lamented the absence of a fire station on the East Coast of Demerara, since it took a fire tender almost two hours to arrive on the scene from the city.
They pointed to the proposed fire station which is being built just a stone’s throw from the damaged building, adding that one year since the commencement of construction, it is still incomplete.
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