Swift action by Fire Service saves orphanage

Feb 02, 2021 News

The Shaheed’s Girls’ Orphanage.

Kaieteur News – Swift and tactical action by members of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) helped to save the Shaheed’s Girls’ Orphanage from any major damage after a fire erupted yesterday morning.
Raheema Rahaman, the Chief Executive Officer of the Orphanage, told Kaieteur News that based on information she received, the fire occurred sometime around 10:55hrs after she left to carry out other duties.
The orphanage is a two-storey building located at Lot 7 and 8 Oleanders Gardens, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and currently houses 28 girls and three caretakers.
One of the caretakers said that she was teaching a sewing class in the lower-flat of the building and during the class, three of the girls left and went upstairs in the sleeping area to put up their handkerchiefs.
Kaieteur News was told that moments after the girls went upstairs, they came rushing downstairs and informed another caretaker that, “upstairs full of smoke”.
Checks were made and the caretakers discovered that smoke was emanating from the ceiling of the orphanage. The caretakers and girls evacuated the building and the fire service was alerted.
When the firemen arrived, the ranks went into action and quickly extinguished the fire before it caused any severe damage to the building. Kaieteur News was told that some sections of the ceiling were burnt.
While there has been no official report from the fire service on the incident, the caretakers believe that the fire is of electrical origin. One of the caretaker said, “What the firefighters said is that it was a good thing the girls went upstairs because the fire start from the ceiling coming down, and that it is a good thing they noticed the smoke early.”
When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene, the caretakers were putting out soaked clothes and mattresses to dry. Food items that were stored in the lower flat were also soaked.
But Rahaman is grateful. “Thank God, thank God,” she said as she noted that, “the girls are safe” and that “the building did not receive any major damage since it would cost millions to repair”.
Back in 2018, the orphanage was reportedly set on fire by one of the girls after a misunderstanding with one of the then caretakers. In April 2019, approximately six months after the orphanage was torched, a new building was commissioned.

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