Prison Service's living quarters destroyed by fire

Prison Service’s living quarters destroyed by fire

Feb 03, 2024 News

The building after the fire was contained

By Christal Yong

Kaieteur News – Fire of unknown origin on Friday destroyed the Guyana Prison Service’s (GPS) Bachelors’ Quarters located at Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown displacing some 30 prison officers who occupied the building.

The Prison Service reported on its Facebook page that “No casualties or injuries were reported as prison officers ventured out as soon as the fire broke out.”

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot disclosed that the GPS has secured temporary accommodation for the affected prison officers. Elliot noted too that measures are in place to ensure the welfare of the affected officers are taken care of.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) in a short statement said that it was alerted at 09:26hrs about a fire at the location and Water tenders #85 and #105, Prison Bowser, Land Rover #7, and Hydraulic Platform #3, with crews from various fire stations, were dispatched promptly.

The first unit reportedly arrived at 09:33hrs and the initial jet was applied at 09:34hrs and subsequently contained the fire. The Fire Service has since promised a “comprehensive incident report”.

Fire blazing throughout the Prison Service Living Quarters (Photo from GPF)

Furthermore, students from Chase Academy, located opposite the GPS Bachelor’s Quarters, were evacuated promptly as smoke engulfed their complex.

A teacher at the private institution told Kaieteur News that a student smelled smoke while in his class.

“At about 09:00hrs, when my class was now starting, a child smell the smoke and I came out from the top part of the Chase building and I saw smoke from the southern side of the police dorms, by the roof, and well I ran down and told the headmaster and I came over and I saw persons downstairs, coming out from one of the apartment downstairs and there were already a firefighter and a police trying to extinguish the fire on a ladder with a fire extinguisher, but the ladder fell and he fell along with the ladder,” the teacher recalled.

He added, “But they couldn’t have done anything about the fire because the fire was already in the roof. Then they got out of there, when they realized that they couldn’t have done anything. Police came and blocked off the entrance and exit to the street.”

The teacher recalled that the West Field Primary School’s teachers were informed of the fire as that school is located in the same compound with Chase Academy. “They assume the smoke wouldn’t reach that far, but it did and eventually one of the senior officers, went to the back and instructed the children to come out, and so we had to break down a few fences because they [students & teachers] couldn’t have come out from the front, because the smoke was already too much,” the teacher told Kaieteur News.

The evacuated students were escorted to the Guyana Police Force’s Headquarters, complex at Eve Leary, where they awaited their parents.

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