Two dead, millions in losses after massive fire at Vreed-en-Hoop

By Isanella Patoir

A massive and devastating fire ripped through four buildings at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction on the West Coast of Demerara early Sunday morning.

In the aftermath, the remains of two male Chinese nationals were found while a clothing boutique known as Nauth’s Fashion, a Chinese restaurant, Robin’s bookstore, a Chinese supermarket and the Mobile Guru cellphone store were completely destroyed.

The identities of the dead men are not yet known and it is believed that the men resided inside the supermarket which they owned.

Business owners are reeling from the millions of dollars in losses they’ve suffered.

The massive fire started at around 01:50hrs Sunday and reports indicate that the fire may have started in the Chinese supermarket.

Firefighters promptly responded to the scene, but residents claim they did not have enough water which caused the fire to spread.

However, firefighters battled the major fire which lasted for hours. At 9am, firefighters remained at the scene still putting out small fires.
Residents across the West Coast of Demerara are also without landline and internet services as the fire damaged one of GTT’s fibre cables.

Employees were seen repairing the cable Sunday.

The owner of Nauth’s fashion told the News Room that she is not satisfied with the response of the fire service and stated that the other businesses could have been saved if the fire service had enough water.

The businesswoman said her store was completely destroyed but she is thankful for her life.

The owner said the storage bond was also destroyed and the other clothing store she owned in the same area was soaked with water to prevent it from burning.