Fire destroys C’tyne business place, adjacent property

Mar 01, 2019 News

At just around 14:30 hrs yesterday, a blaze ripped through a three-storey building that housed a hardware store and restaurant, along with a house on an adjacent lot.
Eyewitnesses told Kaieteur News that they noticed wires near the business place sparking and shortly after a “boom” was heard. This resulted in a massive fire that completely razed the buildings.

The fire and the aftermath

The owner of the business, Dave Subnauth was not available when this publication tried to contact him for a comment, but it is understood that he had recently renovated the building, which was once the “Countryside Cinema” located on the public road of Number 64 Village.
The next door building was unoccupied since the owners reside overseas. However, neighbours stated that just recently they returned to the country on vacation and had constructed a new fence with grill work included. A car, which was parked under the house was also completely destroyed by the fire.
Second in Command of the Fire Service in Berbice, Clive McDonald told the media that they received the first call at the Corriverton Fire Station at approximately 13:40 hrs and the unit responded immediately. He said, “On arrival, the entire building was engulfed in flames, the crew immediately went into operation because of the magnitude and threat. They went to an open source of water at about 400 metres away”.
McDonald explained that subsequent to that, the unit called for backup and a fire tender from the Rose Hall Fire Station arrived to assist. The official stated that he could not put a time frame as to when the second building caught fire, but noted that because of the distance to source the water “it took some time” before they returned with the water.
At the scene, the buildings were already completely burnt, with smoke still emanating, but firefighters were still working to quell the remainder of the inferno from within the buildings while residents lined the public road watching on.
One female resident who was very helpful in assisting firefighters, explained that the Corriverton Fire Tender arrived shortly after the fire began on the business place, but when they arrived, they appeared to be experiencing difficulties with their pump.
“When they were trying at the back to put the pump on the big fire truck, they took probably three quarter of an hour, then they resorted to something else, where they took a pump and we jump start it with my vehicle and we get water to come here. They had to go to Number 56 to get water and then come back, so by the time, they returned then this second house had already caught fire”, the woman said.
She stated that residents had gathered and formed a bucket brigade to help douse the fire on the second house, before it caught on to the other houses nearby. This was successful.
According to the woman, the firefighters did their best, but it was their equipment that failed them, “this house was not even supposed to burn”, she said.