By Oscar P. Clarke and Samantha Alleyne
Stabroek News
June 16, 2001

Fire believed to be electrical in origin last night completely decimated the three-storey Ministry of Housing and Water building on Homestretch Avenue which years ago was part of the old D'Urban Park race course.

The conflagration left millions of dollars in damage and dozens of persons jobless and came in the wake of a series of fires that have put Georgetown on tenterhooks since the March 19 general elections.

A piece of history was lost in last night's fire and many Guyanese will also now be worrying about applications for house lots and other records all of which would have gone up in flames.

According to reports, the building said to be mostly constructed of pitch pine, went up in flames after smoke was seen issuing from an air conditioning unit on the third floor which was apparently on even though the building was empty.

Security guards who were on the scene at the time of the incident reported that they saw smoke coming from the air conditioner and soon after the former turf course club house went up in flames.

When Stabroek News arrived on the scene the building was totally engulfed as firemen waged a losing battle to bring the fire under control.

Police were busy trying to control encroaching crowds of curious onlookers as they pressed forward to get a closer look.

The firemen on the scene did well in contain the fire. The building to the east that houses the Commonwealth Youth Programme in the top half and Help & Shelter in the bottom half was not affected by the hungry flames.

As firemen fought the battle to save the already consumed building the water from their hoses was totally blotted out by the leaping red flames.

Fire Chief, Prince Dickenson, who was on the scene told Stabroek News that the firemen did a good job. "We always do the best we can with the resources we have," he said.

The fire chief said that it would be too soon to try and determine what might have caused the fire. He said that they received the call about the fire at around 19:20 hours and fire engines were immediately deployed to the scene.

Dickenson said that last night the fire service had three water tenders, one water carrier, one Land Rover courtesy of the La Bonne Intention (LBI) sugar estate and a few portable fire-fighting pumps were also on the scene. These were manned by more than thirty fire-fighters.

Quickly on the scene was Presidential Advisor on Empowerment, Odinga Lumumba, whose offices were located in the said building.

Speaking to reporters Lumumba said that he was informed about the blaze by a friend.

Upon his arrival, Lumumba stated, there was a single fire tender with one hose. It was his understanding from guards that the fire started at the rear of the building and quickly enshrouded the entire top flat with the aid of an easterly breeze.

According to the presidential advisor, records, other documents and computers had been obliterated in the blaze. An employee who was on the scene at the time aided in removing vehicles from the ministry's compound as the fire raged on the top floor.

Recounting the events, Andre King, a driver, stated that he was awaiting transport on the main road when he heard shouts of fire from a guard at the premises and immediately returned to the yard.

Once there he demanded keys for the vehicles and proceeded to drive them out one by one.

Two of them for which keys were not lodged were pushed out of the compound with assistance from security guards and another driver who had arrived by this time. In all, six vehicles were saved.

A female security guard at the location stated that she observed smoke emitting from the air conditioning machine and immediately called the fire brigade but they took some time in arriving.

Observers recalled seeing thick black smoke billowing from the top, eastern section of the building prior to it going up in flames.

A worried looking Minister of Youth, Sport & Culture, Gail Teixiera last night told this newspaper that not only an historic building had been lost but the fire would have a great impact on the country's housing drive.

The minister recalled that she had just got home when her children told her there was a fire and she immediately turned on the television and saw the live broadcast on GTV 11.

She felt that the fire was no accident as there have been too many fires in recent times. During the unrest that followed the elections, the police had said that an incendiary device had been found in a restroom in the said ministry. On April 9th a major section of the commercial district on Robb and Regent streets was destroyed by fire and there were several other conflagrations.

Also on the scene was Mayor of Geogetown Hamilton Green who said that when he first heard about the fire he thought it was the Mandela dump site ablaze again. "I am saddened by the fire. This building has very fond memories for me as it once housed my office," Green, a former PNC minister said. The mayor said he was surprised at the way the building burnt furiously and suggested that this might have been caused by all the papers that would have been in the building. "The country has lost another heritage building," the mayor lamented.

The fire was seen from as far as Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara, Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara and across the Demerara River.