Kaieteur News Reported : A longstanding Quamina Guest House on Quamina Street, Georgetown was completely gutted by fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Local reports say the blaze was first noticed between 01:30 hrs and 02:00 hrs. At the time, details surrounding the cause of the fire were not immediately available.
One guest recounted the moment a burning smell turned into a terrifying wake-up call.
“I smelled something burning but didn’t check right away. After a while, I opened my eyes and noticed smoke coming from the top of my room door. I immediately jumped off the bed, alerted others, opened the door, and ran out,” she said.
The guest house owner, Patrick John, also described how he learned of the incident while asleep with his wife and baby. He said his phone began ringing and he was told something was happening at the premises, with reports of noise that later turned out to be a fire.
“At first, I thought it was a regular disturbance, like people arguing. But then I heard that there was a fire. We ran out of the house, and by the time we got outside, the fire service was already there trying to control the blaze,” he explained.
John said he has suffered losses amounting to millions of dollars, adding that while the guest house and other businesses were affected, he said he was relieved his home was not impacted.
“A lot of people lost a lot, including the Cuban guests. It’s a sad situation, but it is out of my control,” he said.
The building also housed several businesses on its lower flat, all of which were affected by the fire. Colleen Abrams of Matpal Crew Management said her business received a call indicating that a fire had broken out in the building where the crew management office is located.
“When we arrived, there was still evidence of the fire, and firefighters were working to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading,” she said.
Abrams noted that the fire engulfed the entire building and that losses were driven by both fire and water damage.
“Assets that we had in the office were destroyed,” she added.
Up to press time, the Guyana Fire Service had not released an official statement on the cause of the blaze.
