Ranks at Eve Leary being questioned about massive fire

Investigation into the massive fire that destroyed the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is underway with officers from Eve Leary who were housed in the dorms being questioned.

“We are still investigating…we have officers from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on the ground carrying the investigations because it is a lot of ranks that have to be questioned,” Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo disclosed to the News Room on Sunday.

The Fire Chief said too that within the next two days, investigators should have preliminary findings to release to the public as it relates to the cause of the fire.

Saturday’s blaze gutted the OPR, the Police’s Construction Department and the dorms but thankfully, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) – that was housed in the same wooden building – was speared from the inferno due to the quick efforts by firefighters and ranks on the scene.

A temporary building has not yet been identified for the DPP but according to Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, the files are being safely stored at the Police Training Centre at Eve Leary.

It was said that 98% of the DPP’s critical case jackets, hard drives and other files were saved from the fire. Officials from the DPP’s office were in a mad rush to save them, even resorting to throwing boxes of files out of the window.

The fire service in a statement noted that it received a call at 13:50hrs alerting ranks to a fire at the location.

Water tenders from the Central, Alberttown, West Ruimveldt and Campbellville Fire Stations immediately responded to the scene.

The fire is reported to have begun on the top floor of the western side of the building, in an area which is used as the living quarters for ranks of the Guyana Police Force, the statement noted.

“The fire subsequently spread to other parts of the building due to the age and combustibility of the structure and its contents,” the fire service said.

The Prime Minister, Mark Phillips who was at the scene along with other government ministers, assured that a thorough investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire.

It is the second major blow to the force, the first being the fire that destroyed 80% of the Brickdam Police Station back in October.

Minister Benn believes that the fires are politically motivated but he assured that the government will “stand firm.”