Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Akbar Auto Sales fire still undetermined
Investigations are ongoing as members of the Guyana Fire Service continue work to determine the cause of a lunch time blaze which destroyed over 100 parked vehicles in a major fire last Friday.
Last Friday’s fire caused massive damage to the Automobile business.
The business place of Akbar’s Auto Sales which is located at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, was completely destroyed when a gasoline fueled fire raged through the company’s warehouse, leaving behind a metal graveyard of various vehicles.
The operations officer who dealt with the fire at the time told Kaieteur News yesterday that “so far the cause of the blaze is still undetermined.” He said that on Saturday and Sunday ranks were back at the scene of the fire gathering more evidence.
He added that reports gathered have shown that residents and persons close to where the fire occurred recalled hearing explosions before they saw the blaze. Currently, the ranks are conducting checks of the environment to ascertain possible items that could have caused the blaze, the fire rank explained.
Given the nature of the establishment it is not strange that several flammable items could have been at the location, including the fueled vehicles parked on the premises, one rank said.
Munaf Hussein, popularly known as ‘Akbar,’ was at the Meten-Meer-Zorg Masjid some five miles away, when he got news of the fire. He told reporters that the blaze could have been caused by dried grass near his building. He said he had complained that some residents often set the grass alight and fire service ranks were recently forced to respond to several grass fires near his premises.
Hussein confirmed that over 100 vehicles had been destroyed during the blaze. It was noted that persons had already made payments on some of the destroyed automobiles, but Hussein said that the company was insured.
The businessman told Kaieteur News that he is currently conducting an audit of the damage sustained, and is unable to say the financial setbacks. While staffers of the auto company are expected to be interviewed by the police today, Hussein said that the company is already in the process of starting over.
Some 17 persons were employed with the businessman who had taken over his father’s business following his murder in 1998.
Friday’s fire was said to have caused panic since it could have caused greater damage if the blaze had spread to neigbouring structures. The local fire service was praised for keeping the inferno under control.
It was suggested that the blaze was intense due to the fuelled vehicles that were caught in the path of the fire. Some 150 vehicles were said to have been damaged beyond repair.
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