Fire partially destroys unoccupied building at New Amsterdam Psychiatric Hospital

A suspected electrical fire on Wednesday afternoon damaged a building at the Psychiatric Hospital in New Amsterdam.
Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald said the Guyana Fire Service operations room received a report at approximately 17:05 hrs that a structure within the hospital compound was on fire.

Two fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, firefighters observed heavy smoke and flames emanating from the building and adopted an offensive firefighting approach to contain and suppress the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby structures.

McDonald said the building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
“For quite some time the building housed inmates, but based on reports it has been unoccupied for some time,” he said.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire may have been electrical in nature, although the exact cause remains under investigation.

“Preliminary, it appears electrical. There is nothing in the building. It is an empty standing structure, with some garbage on the floor. There were no appliances inside,” McDonald said.

Firefighters also encountered a live electrical supply to the building during the initial response. Personnel from Guyana Power and Light arrived shortly after and disconnected the power, allowing crews to continue operations safely.

Only a section of the building was destroyed, while another portion remains standing, the officer said, crediting the swift response of firefighters for limiting the damage.
No injuries were reported. Investigations are ongoing.