(INEWS)Some 19 boats that were docked at the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling, West Bank Demerara, caught on fire in the wee hours of today.
According to the Guyana Fire Service, 13 of the boats were completely destroyed, while six were slightly damaged.
The GFS said the report was made at about 01:49h today about a fire at the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling.
Consequently, Water Tender #111 and crew from the La Grange Fire Station, along with fire boat Protector #8 and crew, were immediately dispatched to the scene.
When firefighters arrived, they discovered several boats on fire and managed to extinguish the blaze but not before the 13 were destroyed.
According to the police, inquiries revealed that the fire started from the rear end of a vessel which was docked on the southern side of the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling, which quickly erupted and spread to other nearby vessels on the southern side of the river, destroying those vessels.
Several persons were questioned, including a watchman for the vessel where the fire started. He was later placed into custody at the Vreed-En-Hoop Police Outpost and is assisting with the investigation.
The purported cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and requires further investigation by our Fire Prevention officers.
Three jets working from water tender #111 via an open water source along with three jets working from fire boat Protector #8 were used to extinguish the fire.
