A fire on Saturday afternoon gutted the East Ruimveldt Community Centre, a once-active facility that had been out of use since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The blaze was reported around 5:30 p.m. by nearby residents, prompting an emergency response from three fire tenders; two from the Guyana Fire Service Headquarters and one from the West Ruimveldt station. Despite their efforts, the building sustained extensive damage.
Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore, who visited the scene shortly after the fire, confirmed that the facility was not in use at the time of the incident and had been repurposed for storage. “This building was originally a nursery school and later served the community. Since COVID, it hasn’t been in operation, but we were planning to bring it back into community use,” the mayor stated.
Mentore emphasized that no financial or sensitive government records were stored at the site. “I just confirmed with the Treasurer that it’s not financial information. That is very critical to the government, especially since we are finalising parts of our audit,” he explained. He added that any records previously accessed for auditing were sourced from a different location.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the mayor called for a thorough probe into the incident. “It’s one of those situations where we don’t have all the answers at this time,” Mayor Mentore said. He also noted concerns about the security measures in place, stating that while guards had been assigned to the property during certain hours, it was unclear whether they were present when the fire broke out.
The mayor indicated that the administration will review security protocols and consider the installation of CCTV systems at similar facilities across the city. “We will do all that we can do. Whatever the investigation turns out to provide, we will definitely look at addressing it.”
Importantly, the building was insured. “We just even paid the insurance up to date,” Mentore noted, revealing that the city had recently requested revaluations of several municipal buildings to ensure they were adequately covered.
Saturday’s incident comes just one day after explosions damaged the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost and the GPL Substation on Mandela Avenue. While authorities have not linked the events, both have raised heightened concerns about public infrastructure security.
As investigations continue, Mayor Mentore has reaffirmed his commitment to transparency, assuring residents that the matter will be fully examined and addressed.
