Devastating Puruni fire started at gas station – Fire Service confirms

The fire broke out last Wednesday in the Miners Choice area of Puruni Landing started at a gas station, affecting multiple properties, including guest houses, storage facilities, and equipment, The Guyana Fire Service confirmed in a statement on Friday.

The blaze started around 10:30 hrs at a fuel station owned by Glaston Fiffee, 46, and his wife, Alanna Fiffee, 37.

Preliminary reports suggest that a malfunction in one of the fuel pumps may have been the cause of the fire, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Workers at the station were in the process of dispensing gasoline when the pump reportedly exploded, igniting nearby combustible materials and quickly spreading to other structures in the vicinity.

In addition to the fuel station, three guest houses, three storage bonds, three living quarters, two restaurants, an ice house, a boutique, a dwelling house, a generator room, and a variety store were damaged or destroyed.

Several pieces of equipment, including engines, dredge pumps, generators, motorcycles, and boats, were also severely impacted.

At the time of the fire, 28 people were residing in the affected guest houses and living quarters.

Thankfully, no casualties or injuries have been reported, though all residents have been displaced by the blaze.

Local miners and residents demonstrated extraordinary courage, stepping in to assist in containing the fire using mining equipment, such as water pumps.

Their quick actions, combined with the response from the Bartica Fire Station, which deployed Light Pump #A113 to draw water from a nearby source, were crucial in bringing the situation under control and preventing further damage.