Fire guts America Street Store

Aug 05, 2016 News

Tragedy struck yesterday morning at the corner of America Street and Avenue of

Firefighters used a turntable ladder while trying to contain the blaze.

the Republic, when Raj’s Wholesale and Retail Store became engulfed in flames. When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene, thick smoke was seen escaping the windows and vents on the third and fourth storeys.
According to Officer In Charge of Operations, Compton Sparman, the call about the fire was received around 11:34 hrs. He said that two tenders were dispatched from Central Fire Station, Stabroek, and one tender from Alberttown.
Sparman said that they were able to contain the fire after 45 minutes. He described the building as a fortress whereby there were many grills and steel plates. Due to these hindrances, firefighters took some time before they could have gained access to the building.
They eventually reached the top two floors and proceeded to extinguish the blaze – initially using water from the trucks’ tanks and later sourcing water from the canal running parallel to Avenue of the Republic.
Due to the height of the building, a turntable ladder was called in to lift fire fighters higher and closer to the high risk areas.
It is unclear at this point what could have caused the fire and damage is reported to be in the millions.

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