Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 14, 2014 News
By Rabindra Rooplall
After a rice bond was set ablaze at De Hoop, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, on Thursday,
Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle disclosed that the investigation continues into what he describes as a “suspicious act” since it was discovered that the fire began from the centre of the bond.
Thursday last, a farmer storing his paddy and bulk rice for the Venezuelan market watched as fire razed a section of his storage. Rice farmer Deonarine Sukhlall estimated his losses at approximately $50M.
According to the Guyana Fire Services (GFS) Chief, there was no electrical equipment or anything electrical in nature that could have started the fire. However, the fire service is investigating a theory that surrounds the possibility that the fire was set maliciously.
“Investigations are still ongoing since all statements have not been given; we are still to get the last person that locked up the bond,” Gentle said. He alluded to the fact that there are other angles being pursued to determine the motive behind the fire.
Fire service officials had disclosed that the zinc bond housed cargo rice, paddy, pesticides and other items which were destroyed. This resulted in the total collapse of the bond after fire fighters concentrated on saving the two other buildings in the compound. Fire engines from the GuySuCo unit and Onverwagt Fire Station assisted with containing the blaze.
It was also noted that poor storage contributed even more to the fire since the bond was overstocked. Nevertheless, officials noted that they were able to contain the blaze despite mechanical problems encountered with their water pumps after it took in silt and rice/paddy dust from the nearby canal where they got water.
Sukhlall who has been a rice farmer for almost 30 years noted that the bond contained 8,000 bags of paddy and over 2,000 bags of rice which were destroyed with the structure. A 40-foot container with tones of rice was also destroyed. Sukhlall said he plants over 750 acres of rice.
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