Four persons were successfully evacuated from a burning building at Vreed-en-Hoop New Road.
The early morning fire destroyed the building that housed a restaurant and living quarters.
The fire started at around 02:30hrs on Tuesday and quickly consumed the two-storey structure. At the time of the fire, there were four persons in the building; three women who occupied the upper flat and a Chinese national who occupied the lower flat.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) initially reported that it had rescued one individual and was searching for three others who may have been trapped in the building.
But this publication was informed that all four persons were successfully evacuated.
A neighbour, 72-year-old Jaidev Dudnaught, explained that persons were gathered at a nearby bar when they suddenly noticed thick smoke emanating from the building, which housed a Chinese restaurant on the lower flat and an apartment on the upper flat.
The fire service was immediately contacted; the ambulance arrived before the fire trucks and the EMTs successfully rescued the three women who were trapped. There are reports that one of the women sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, the Chinese businessman who occupied the lower floor of the building was also rescued after emergency personnel on the scene used tools to cut through the grill bars on the windows.
In the end, the building was completely destroyed, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.
