Residents and officials in Linden are calling for national assistance, one day after a sawmill dumpsite fire continues to spread, amid fears that it might affect neighbouring homes and other buildings.
Reports are that the fire was set at the dumpsite at Waaldijk Sawmill, located at South Amelia’s Ward, where three other sawmills are situated in close proximity.
Firefighters responded to the blaze, which started on Wednesday morning, but encountered difficulties as the terrain is challenging for fire tenders to access.
Linden Deputy Mayor, Dominique Blair, has deemed the situation a community emergency, citing that it poses a threat to livelihoods and infrastructure.
As such, he is calling on the government to treat the ongoing fire as a matter of national interest.
“The blaze continues to burn, threatening lives, homes, livelihoods, and now key businesses. Our town is simply not equipped to handle a disaster of this scale on our own. This moment calls for unity and urgency. All national resources available should be mobilised to support our firefighters, protect our people, and bring this situation under control. Due to the terrain and location, the fire trucks are limited in what they can do. We’re urgently calling on anyone with trucks, excavators, water tanks, or other heavy-duty equipment to come forward and assist us in containing this fire before it spreads further. This is a community emergency. If you have the equipment or resources and are nearby, please come out now. Every bit of help counts,” Blair noted in a statement.
The Region 10 Democratic Council (RDC), in a statement issued on Wednesday, said it has activated the Regional Disaster Preparedness and Response Protocol to co-opt any and all available assistance.
The RDC noted that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has been notified of the situation and will assist with monitoring through the Guyana Fire Service and other officials to determine whether outside assistance may be required.
“In the interim, the Guyana Fire Service has advised through the CDC that the immediate challenge is the availability of water. A special appeal is therefore being made to persons who operate private water transportation services for construction and other purposes to assist in taking water to the scene to help control the blaze. They are also calling for assistance from owners of heavy-duty equipment such as front-end loaders or bulldozers to assist in creating fire-breaks to contain the fire. Residents are also requested to avoid crowding the area so that the free flow of emergency and fire-fighting equipment can be facilitated,” the statement read.
Despite heavy rainfall in the community on Friday morning, the blaze continues at the dumpsite.
