A fire of so far unknown origin raved for well over 45 minutes at De Sinco Trading on Sheriff and John Streets before workers attached to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) were even able to begin the fight.
Four fire trucks responded to the fire but none of the trucks had water.
One eyewitness said, “First there was no water, then we see like two of the hose started pissing, pissing. De Two a dem piss lil and it stopped again. All this time the fire carrying on.”
Another eye witness said, “There were the trucks, and the workers, no hydrant open and no water in the truck.”
The fire eventually completely destroyed the top of the building where it started and spread to another building.
Eventually, the fire service was able to source water and started fighting the fire with one hose. They remain there trying to salvage what is left.
Guyana Standard has not yet been able to speak to the owners about an assessment of the loss but given that the building is commercial and stocks would have also been destroyed, the loss is estimated to be in the tens of millions.
