Guyana Fire Service prevents major fire at GPL Kingston plant

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DPI, GUYANA, Monday, March 19, 2018

Prompt response from the Guyana Fire Service following calls from the Power Producers and Distributors Incorporated, today averted a major fire at the Guyana Power and Light’s Kingston power plant.

The fire which reportedly started around 14:30 hours left no major damage. Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle told media operatives that ranks were immediately activated when the fire service became aware of the fire.

“Five units were dispatched including water support and foam tenders. When they got here they encountered a truck on fire and the fire had already spread to a holding area which contains what appears to be some type of fuel. We were able to contain the fire using our firefighting resources as well as the in-house firefighting resources of the power company.”

The truck along with some pipes and other equipment connected to the generation facility was damaged. A full damage assessment is ongoing. Gentle said they are waiting for the burnt area and equipment to cool further before continuing the investigation into the cause of the fire.

The Fire Chief applauded the firefighting response, which he described as timely and robust. “We have been doing some in-house exercises with GPL and the Demerara Power Company over the last two or three years and this was not a rehearsal. We were able to do a proper and timely response to this facility.”

Gentle pointed the fact that in power generation, the use of plastic, rubber, insulation and fuel can be hazardous if a fire should occur. In this afternoon’s incident, the firefighters used “high expansion foam” to quickly extinguish the flames. The Fire Chief explained it has the dual purpose of cooling and smothering the fire.

There were no reports of electricity disruptions as a result of this averted disaster.

 

By: Ranetta La Fleur