Claims adjusters want eyewitness accounts
Lombard st fire
Stabroek News
November 16, 2003
Two claims adjusters are in Guyana to determine the validity of insurance claims put in by the managements of Auto Supplies Company Limited (ASCO), Royal Castle and Mohamed's Enterprise.
The three entities, located on Hadfield and Lombard streets, were completely destroyed by fire on Thursday night.
Gregory M. Yeadon and Drew Walker, President and Divisional Vice President respectively of the GM Yeadon Group of Barbados, said that the speed at which claims would be settled depended on the provision of information.
Stabroek News understands that ASCO and Royal Castle have insurance coverage to the tune of several hundred million dollars and that Mohamed's has coverage of $100M for the stock and $60M for the building.
The claims adjusters are calling for eyewitness, Bradley Neblette, and others to come forward and give an account of Tuesday night's fire. Neblette had told Stabroek News at the time of the fire that he saw the John Fernandes truck hitting the pole as it ran off the road. He had said some of the wires began to spark as the pole fell. He reported too hearing a loud explosion coming from the back of Royal Castle after which a small fire started.
The three businesses suffered millions of dollars worth of losses in infrastructure, furnishings and stock in the fire which started after a container truck hit a utility pole, bringing down its power lines.
On a visit to the site yesterday morning, Stabroek News observed flames in some parts of the building and firemen and women working to extinguish them.
However, most of the water being taken from the Demerara river seemed to be escaping through leaks in the hoses.
Mohamed's Enterprise had a crew cleaning debris from the premises and keeping a sharp look out for looters. As this was going on one man said, "Y'all caan deh deh al de time, y'all gat to move an I gon geh pay. I do wuk deh an I gat to geh pay."
Stabroek News noted that ASCO personnel were in the area around the entrance of the burnt-out three-storey building, which was leaning precariously.
The areas adjacent to the fire site were up to yesterday still cordoned off and vehicles proceeding north along Lombard street were being directed east into Leopold street. (Johann Earle)