A fire of unknown origin gutted three rooms at the Ramada Princess Hotel and Casino in Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Saturday night.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said the fire broke out on the fourth floor in room 431 of the six-storey building. The hotel has 194 rooms, along with a casino, which is located on the southern side of the structure.
At the time of the fire, 293 adults and four children were registered at the hotel.
Smoke was observed emanating from the eastern side of the building, which triggered the fire alarm and sprinkler systems. The Fire Department was called and informed of the fire at 22:47h.
Eccles, Diamond, Central, and West Ruimveldt Fire Stations dispatched water tenders, water carriers, a hydraulic platform, three ambulances, and their personnel to the scene, with the first appliance arriving at 22:54h.
Under the command of Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham, 28 firefighting personnel went into immediate action and managed to evacuate all of the guests at the hotel safely and contain the blaze.
The recently acquired hydraulic high-rise platform was also used to rescue several persons trapped on the sixth floor of the hotel.
One guest was conveyed to the Georgetown Public Hospital by Emergency Medical Technicians for treatment of smoke inhalation. There were no serious injuries or casualties.
At 3:10h on Sunday, firefighting operations ceased. The room of origin, along with rooms 433 and 435, sustained significant damage.
Investigations are underway by Fire Prevention officials to ascertain the cause of the fire.
