Kwakwani businessman loses millions in fire

Apr 21, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – A businessman who operates logging concessions in the Upper-Berbice community of Kwakwani is counting millions of dollars in losses after a building which houses 24 of his workers and several pieces of heavy-duty machines went up in flames on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire scene

Inshanally Bacchus said he is more disappointed that the fire tender was unable to respond to the fire in a timelier manner. Residents on the scene explained that the fire tender turned up to the scene with limited water and the officers were ill-equipped and untrained to deal with the situation. “They can’t go to a fire blaze with an empty tanker, if they were equipped they could have saved something at least the saw room or something,” a distraught Bacchus said.
The wooden building that was completely destroyed he said, was constructed 12 years ago. The building also housed several machinery including 10 chainsaws, four outboard engines amongst other things that were all destroyed. His living quarters and some additional structures were partially destroyed.
In an invited comment Regional Councillor Elroy Adolph, said the situation could have been avoided if the officers were trained and the tender was equipped. “We have a fire wheel that could not serve the purpose because at that time, we did not have enough water to do it and the men that was around did not know what to do, how to put out the pump, all they knew to do was to drive it to the location, and took half an hour to get out the little water that was in the tank,” Adolph said. He is calling on the relevant authorities to correct the situation.

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