Update: Businessman dies in Main Street fire

Firefighters were unable to save the businessman who was trapped inside the burning Risan building on Main Street, Georgetown, next to the residence of Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo.

News Room understands that Sankar’s family had just returned from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport when they noticed the building engulfed in flames.

77-year-old Yusuf Sankar died early Monday morning.

The fire began between 5:30 and 6:00 hrs this morning.

“All I know is we were out. I average around 5:30 this happen because when we got here, the whole house was on fire, no one was here as yet. We went in, try to get the vehicles out but it was too much smoke, and since then I just been here,” one of the man’s son, Riyadh Sankar told reporters. He noted that himself and another brother went to the airport to drop-off his third brother who departed for the United States.

The 77-year-old man along with the helper were trapped inside the burning three-storey building.However, security personnel were only able to save the woman who has been working with them for some 35 years.

It was disclosed that the heavy grill work on the building made it difficult to get to the man’s room where he was at the time.

The Guyana Fire Service, with help from this morning’s rain, was able to extinguish the fire, but not before the building was completely destroyed. The origin of the fire is being investigated.

The building housed a Gift Centre and a photocopying centre.