Fire partially guts city building, several stores dislocated

Last Updated on Thursday, 4 August 2016, 14:49 by Denis Chabrol

The owner of the building, Doerga Persaud, looking on as fire fighters tried their best to extinguish the blaze that engulfed his building at America Street and Avenue of the Republic.

Fire on Thursday dislocated several businesses from a building at the corner of Avenue of the Republic and America Street.

Mostly readymade clothing stores occupied the lower flat of the building located on the southern part of the corner.

Using water from the nearby Avenue of the Republic canal, fire fighters battled the fire that churned out thick black smoke from the four-storey concrete structure.

The owner of the building, Doerga Persaud, looked on as fire fighters tried their best to contain the fire.

Speaking briefly to reporters, he said he has lost hundreds millions of dollars in stock. “Right now, I am trying to save all my millions that I had in stocks,”  he said.

A large quantity of items removed from one of the stores that is housed in the building at the corner of Avenue of the Republic and America Street.

Persaud said the fire started in the third floor where no one but only stocks were there. Persaud did not know whether the fire was electrical and that his major concern was trying to save the building.

Led by Divisional Commander for Georgetown and East Bank Demerara, Assistant Commissioner, Clifton Hicken, police set up barriers to prevent scores of curious onlookers from getting close to the burning building.

As the fire was burning, a number of store owners removed some of their stocks and piled them on the road.