By Hon. Nima Flue-Bess, MP
On October 7, 2026, a troubling reality was once again brought into sharp focus when a fire erupted in Block 5, Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara. What should have been an urgent emergency response from the Guyana Fire Service instead became a desperate struggle for survival by residents who were left to battle the flames themselves.
According to residents, when they contacted the Diamond Fire Station for assistance, they were informed that only one fire tender was operational, as another was out of service. They were further told that the available truck had to attend to two other reported fires before proceeding to Block 5, Great Diamond.
For more than two hours, residents came together, armed with branches and whatever resources they could find, to fight the fire until they eventually brought it under control.
These residents are nothing short of heroes. Their courage, unity and determination to protect a family and their community deserve commendation. However, their bravery must not become an excuse for the failure of the State to provide adequate emergency services and basic infrastructure.
This incident raises serious questions about the dangers of relocating or moving people into areas that are not adequately developed or equipped to support safe and dignified living.
Block 5, Great Diamond, continues to face significant infrastructural challenges. Residents are without a reliable supply of potable water and electricity, despite repeated appeals through letters, telephone calls and visits to the relevant agencies.
Ironically, a water supply facility is already in place, but it remains non-operational because it is awaiting an electricity connection. The process of connecting electricity to this community has become an exhausting marathon. Residents have endured delays ranging from the initial absence of electricity poles, to the eventual installation of poles and wires, and now difficulties connecting the system to the national grid.
Meanwhile, families continue to endure daily hardships and unnecessary risks. They face security concerns due to the absence of electricity, the high cost of purchasing gasoline to operate generators, the expense of buying water for basic household needs, and the indiscriminate dumping of garbage along roadways by non-residents.
The fire incident has now exposed another critical vulnerability: the absence of an adequately equipped and responsive emergency service to protect residents when disaster strikes.
It is particularly concerning that approximately $1.6 billion was budgeted in the National Budget for the purchase of firefighting equipment. Yet, questions must be asked about the availability, distribution and operational readiness of that equipment.
Along the East Bank Demerara corridor, there are fire stations at Eccles, Diamond and Timehri. If two other fires were indeed being attended to simultaneously, and residents of Block 5 were told that only one fire tender was operational at Diamond, then the nation deserves answers.
How many operational fire tenders are available to serve the entire East Bank corridor?
What is the actual state of readiness of the fire stations at Eccles, Diamond and Timehri?
How can billions of dollars be allocated for firefighting equipment while communities remain uncertain about whether emergency assistance will reach them in time?
Was the delayed response to Block 5, Great Diamond, simply a consequence of inadequate resources, or does the continued neglect of this community reflect a broader failure to prioritise the needs of residents living in underdeveloped areas?
These questions are not intended to undermine the dedicated men and women of the Guyana Fire Service. Rather, they concern the responsibility of the Government to ensure that the agency has the personnel, equipment and operational capacity required to fulfil its mandate.
True development means ensuring that people have access to electricity, potable water, proper drainage, sanitation, security and reliable emergency services.
You cannot move people into communities without first ensuring that the infrastructure and essential services necessary to protect their lives are in place.
The people of Block 5, Great Diamond, should not have to depend on their own bravery, branches and sheer determination to save their homes while waiting for the State to respond.
I am therefore calling on the relevant authorities to urgently:
- Provide a clear update on the operational capacity and availability of fire tenders serving the East Bank Demerara corridor.
- Expedite the electricity connection required to make the existing water supply facility operational in the area.
- Conduct an assessment of emergency response capacity in newly developed communities and those where residents have been relocated.
Development without essential services and relocation without adequate infrastructure are an injustice. The people of Guyana deserve better.
