Fire ravages Sacred Heart Church-
May have been caused by faulty electrical connection
By Michael Benjamin
Kaieteur News
December 28, 2004
Worshippers at the historical Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Main Street , were forced to abandon their church service and flee to safety when fire, believed to have been caused by a faulty electrical connection, destroyed the building.
More than 1,500 children of the Sacred Heart Primary School are also displaced after their school, situated aback the church, was razed.
Nearby business places were also affected.
Headmistress of the Sacred Heart Primary School , Yonette Johnson, lamented the loss and labeled it a major setback for the students preparing for the Secondary School Entrance Examination. She said that the government will need to formulate a contingency plan since there is not much time left before the examination.
The church represented an important symbol of Guyanese history and its destruction has evoked nostalgic memories to the minds, and tears to the eyes of those who found solace and redemption behind its sacred walls. The church was also one of the historical landmark buildings in the city and the parish for hundreds of Roman Catholics.
Public spirited citizens valiantly joined forces with members of the Guyana Fire Service to contain the blaze, but their efforts were hampered by an inefficient supply of water coupled with several leaky hoses.
Kaieteur News understands that the fire might have had its genesis when sparks from the power supply leading to a makeshift manger erected in the church, developed into a full fledged inferno. Reports are that worshippers were on the verge of wrapping up Christmas Mass when someone noticed the smoke.
An alarm was raised and the fire brigade was summoned. The fire-fighters arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after receiving the call and might have been able to contain the blaze but for a severe water shortage and poor resources.
Banks DIH Ltd. responded to a corporate call and made available two water tankers. One of the tankers had the capacity of 3,000 gallons while the other, with a capacity of 1,500 gallons, was used to ferry water from Thirst Park to replenish the larger tanker. While this level of assistance failed to save the Sacred Heart Church and School, it managed to contain the fire from spreading to Universal Airlines, which at one time, seemed threatened.
Another business place, King Solomon's Enterprise , was also affected after more than a dozen vehicles parked at the rear of the building were damaged by the scorching heat. It was also reported that about 20 pedigree dogs penned behind the business place were also burnt.
Added to his woes, the businessman also suffered further losses after the fire destroyed furniture and other equipment on the ground floor of his business place. Up to the time of this report, he was still assessing his losses.
As the fire razed the church, employees of the Universal Airlines, situated next door, battled strenuously to prevent the fire from spreading to their offices. This group was assisted by a team of public spirited citizens who, using one of the fire hoses, successfully contained the fire from the rear of the building.
Meanwhile, the Vicar General of the church, Father John Persaud, reportedly said that the Bishop was in Linden at the time of the tragedy. Another senior member of the church, Father Luthera was at the scene comforting other members who cried openly as they observed their place of worship being reduced to ashes.
All around there were tears as Roman Catholics wept openly as the flames greedily devoured the 134-year-old structure. Among those was former Mayor Compton Young who amidst tears told this newspaper that he had earlier attended the midnight mass. He said that he was at home relaxing when he received the dreadful news.
Ironically, the church was reportedly inaugurated on Christmas Eve 1870.
Meanwhile, President Bharrat Jagdeo, who arrived on the scene shortly after firemen had brought the fire under control, lamented the mishap while commiserating with the congregation and the Catholic community. The Head of State noted that the Church represented a rich part of local history.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manzoor Nadir, lamented the loss of another key heritage building in Guyana . He said there is a dearth of fire-fighting resources that is in need of urgent attention. Nadir was also adamant that unless these issues receive urgent attention Guyana would continue to lose its historical edifices.
The Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister also lashed out at the M&CC saying that they are neglecting their mandate to de-silt the canals to facilitate ready access to water to bolster firefighting efforts.
Deputy Mayor, Robert Williams, retorted that the M&CC could not be blamed since they were recently engaged in an exercise that saw the de-silting of the canals in the very area in which the fire struck.