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Fire destroys 13 water taxis at Vreed-en-Hoop stelling
…Watchman arrested
Kaieteur News – Thirteen water taxis are destroyed and another six slightly damaged following a fire at the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling around 01:49 hrs on Tuesday morning.
Water Taxis on fire
Police have detained a watchman (security guard) stationed at the stelling for questioning as the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) continues its investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
According to the GFS a crew of fire fighters from the La Grange Fire Station and another with the firefighting agency’s fire boat were dispatched to the scene.
“When firefighters arrived, they discovered several boats on fire”
A total of nineteen boats were on fire and by the time firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze 13 were destroyed while the remaining 6 were slightly damaged.
Police questioned several persons including the watchman who is in custody at the Vreed-en-hoop Police Station. Following the investigation, police learnt that the fire started from the stern of the one of the boats docked on the southern end of the stelling.
Reportedly helped by the breeze the fire began spreading to nearby vessels nearby destroying them.
Aftermath of the fire
Meanwhile, some persons are suspecting that it could be an act of arson. Persons recalled seeing thick smoke coming from the behind the stelling and after rushing to area discovered that the boats were on fire.
An alarm was raised and boat owners were notified. All of them reportedly immediately rushed to the location but while some were relieved that their boats were barely damaged others spoke of their loss.
One person posted a photo showing the aftermath of the fire and said, “Look all my parents’ hard-work and sweat all just like that it gone. Heart-breaking.”
The loss suffered by the boat owners is estimated to be millions of dollars as most of the boats had two 75HP outboard engines. One engine costs around $1.4M.
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