Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia
Fire early Tuesday morning destroyed the Medex Building, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
The building was the administrative centre for several departments including Health Sciences Education, Veterinary Public Health, Food Policy and Environmental Health.
Fire officials said they received a call from motorists about 3 AM that there was a fire at the huge wooden building. The security guard said he was asleep.
Neighbours said the fire started in the middle flat of the building. They also alleged that fire fighters took a long time before they went into action, resulting in the building being consumed by the hungry flames very quickly.
A fireman sustained a cut to one of his hands while attempting to gain entry, a resident and a fireman told reporters.
A senior official of the Ministry of Health described the impact as a “total loss” because “a lot of vital records” and training materials have been destroyed.