Ramada Hotel temporarily closes doors following fire

Sep 26, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – The fire which gutted a room and scorched others at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel on Saturday night has resulted in the Hotel temporarily closing its doors. In a statement, the management of the Hotel said, “We regret to inform the public that the Ramada Princess Hotel will be closed, until further notice due to the extensive damage suffered.”

According to the statement, the Hotel is working with the “authorities, in organizing a plan to deal with issues that our guests face at this time.”

“We appreciate your patience and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused during this difficult time,” the Hotel’s management said.

Fire started in Room 431 located on the fourth floor of the six-storey building that has a total of 194 rooms and features a casino on its southern side. At the time of the incident, the hotel had 293 adults and 4 children registered as guests. The fire alarm and sprinkler systems were triggered by smoke emanating from the eastern side of the building.

The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said it was alerted about the fire at around 22:47hrs and it quickly dispatched fire units from Eccles, Diamond, Central, and West Ruimveldt fire stations. These units included water tenders, water carriers, a hydraulic platform, three ambulances, and personnel. The first unit arrived at 22:54hrs.

A section of the hotel which was gutted by the inferno. (Credit: Ministry of Home Affairs)

Under the command of Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham, 28 firefighters acted swiftly to safely evacuate all hotel guests and effectively contain the blaze. They also utilized a recently acquired hydraulic high-rise platform to rescue individuals trapped on the sixth floor. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries or casualties, though one guest was treated for smoke inhalation at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Firefighting operations concluded at 03:10 hours the following day, with significant damage sustained by the room of origin and neighbouring rooms 433 and 435. To extinguish the fire, two lines were utilized, drawing water from water carrier #14, water tender #116, HP #2, and an open water source.

President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and other government officials were on the scene, providing support on Saturday.

“The management of the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to his Excellency Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo Minister of Home Affairs Hon. Robeson Benn and Minister of Tourism Hon. Oneidge Waldrond for their support at the scene of the fire (last night as in Saturday night). Special thanks is also extended to the Guyana Fire Service for their prompt respond and herculean effort in saving our hotel, and the Guyana Police Force for all of their organized effort in assisting and evacuating guest and staff from the building,” the statement said.

The Hotel said that a representative will contact guests to offer further advice. For additional information, please contact +592-265-7004 ext111

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