Massive blaze rips through Felicity hardware store bond

A massive blaze on Monday destroyed the bond behind the Z. Mohammed and Sons hardware store located at Felicity, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The News Room understands that the fire started at around 16:00hrs on Monday and two fire engines immediately responded.

Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn, who was at the scene on Monday night, explained that the fire was difficult to extinguish because the bond houses numerous combustible materials, including oils, paints and plywood.

“Firefighters have managed to contain (the fire) to the bond itself with great difficulty, so it’s not spreading,” he told the News Room.

He also related that additional fire engines encountered some difficulties arriving at the scene in a timely manner because of significant traffic congestion along the ECD highway.

Still, Benn said he was satisfied with the initial response and assured the public that the firefighters would remain at the scene until the fire was extinguished.

““Under the circumstances, the response was fair,” he said.

At 19:00hrs, firefighters were still unsuccessful in their bid to douse the blaze and were seeking to utilise water from the swimming pool of the nearby Grand Coastal hotel. Efforts were also being made to utilise foam to extinguish the fire.

The News Room understands that the millions of dollars in hardware supplies have been lost with the building’s destruction. The cause of the fire is not yet known.