Finished report into NA fire not seen as pinpointing cause
New building rules in the works
By Daniel DaCosta
Stabroek News
April 3, 2003
The Guyana Fire Service, New Amsterdam branch, has concluded its investigations into the March 7-8 Pitt Street fire which razed a major section of the town’s commercial centre but the report is not likely to pinpoint the cause.
According to the Officer-in-Charge of the Fire Service in New Amsterdam the report has been submitted to the Chief Fire Officer, including a report from the Regional Electrical Department.
However, a source from that department had told this newspaper that it would have been impossible for them to determine the cause of the fire since a main switch and panel recovered from the burnt-out J&N Supermarket where the fire allegedly began were too badly damaged. Eyewitnesses had said that they saw smoke coming from behind a freezer in the supermarket shortly before the fire broke out.
According to the source the technology required to conduct a scientific probe into the fire was not available in Guyana. However one source had posited that a possible cause could have been a damaged appliance. “The motor on the freezer could have broken down and begun over-heating before eventually igniting.”
And the New Amsterdam Town Council at its Monday meeting disclosed that new guidelines are to be introduced for property owners who suffered losses as a result of the fire and are desirous of re-building. The guidelines are expected to be disclosed sometime this week by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) following recommendations made by a broad-based committee established by President Bharrat Jagdeo in the wake of the fire.
The committee comprises representatives of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance, CH&PA, the Mayor and Town Council, fire victims and the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association (BCC&DA).
Special by-laws for Pitt Street were passed by the Mayor and Town Council and approved by the Governor and Court of Policy on November 30,1923. According to the by-laws “in application of by-law 1 of the by-laws in relation to buildings approved by the Governor and Court of Policy the words ‘six feet’ shall be deemed to be substituted for ‘three feet’ for Pitt Street.” There has been widespread criticism and concern over the years about the closeness of the buildings along Pitt Street and the potential danger posed in the event of a fire. The special by-laws state inter-alia: “the roofs of all new buildings or erections shall be covered with slate, tiles or metal. Such buildings as have escaped the recent fire in Pitt Street and are covered with shingles shall be allowed to remain so for twelve months from the confirmation of the by-laws when it shall be imperative on the proprietors to have the roofs of the buildings covered with slates, tiles or metal. The floors of all the buildings shall be constructed of concrete.”
Stabroek News understands that the broad-based committee will ensure that some new systems are put in place. These are expected to include the construction of concrete bottom flats with walls of a specific thickness.
Meanwhile, some three weeks after the fire, the burnt-out site is yet to be cleared of its remains apart from one lot. The once throbbing commercial section today resembles a bombed-out war zone with charred wooden frames, twisted metal, scraps of material, burnt-out galvanised sheets and consumer items partially covered with smelly charcoal.
Some citizens have complained about the presence of debris from the fire on the road shoulders encumbering traffic along the usually busy Strand thoroughfare. The matter has been brought to the attention of the Town Council and is expected to be addressed shortly.
On June 26, 2002, a fire which started in an incomplete three-storey bond at Cooper’s Lane left in its wake losses estimated at over one billion dollars. It destroyed a section of the bond, a large quantity of hardware items stored there and a nearby house in the same street. It also razed two houses including a second bond and damaged another house in Pitt Street (east). In 1998 another fire had destroyed two large business premises two lots away on Main Street which housed four separate businesses and two residences.
On the night of April 9, 1902 a fire in Pitt Street which started at the premises of William Pitt prompted Governor Swettenham to order a commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire and to ascertain whether the Fire Brigade failed to deal adequately with the fire. Attention was focussed on the state of the town’s water supply system and the need to maintain and update it on a regular basis.
Pitt Street named after William Pitt was developed in the early 1900s and became a business centre because of its proximity to the market. Portuguese and Syrians dominated the businesses but Chinese and Indians were also involved.
Pitt Street was also struck by fire in 1923. It reportedly started above Ferrel’s Jewel Store and spread to consume all the buildings in the street except three at each end. A woman who returned for her money and her two children is said to have died before fire units arrived on the scene. New Amsterdam was established as a community on January 11, 1791 and became a municipality one hundred years later in 1891.
