Fire destroys La Sirena on Charles De Gaulle

East Santo Domingo.- S Fire threatened to completely destroy the La Sirena Department Store on Charles De Gaulle Avenue, collapsing the roof of the warehouse, where it began, and affected part of the physical structure of the building. The smoke damaged a great part of the merchandise that the store sells.

Up until now, the amount of economic losses caused by the fire and the cause of the fire that produced these losses are not known

After enormous efforts lasting more than three hours, the brigades from the East Santo Domingo Fire Department, assisted by Civil Defense units, were able to control the fire and avoid that the damages extended throughout the whole establishment. Some 15 fire fighting apparatus, members of the Scientific Police and several ambulances were on the scene.

The fire began near 9:00 a.m. as store employees began to open the commercial center.

The director for security of the Ramos Group, Miguel Zaglul, said that the fire started in the Assets Warehouse where the desks and archives are kept and distributed to other stores. He explained that some 150 employees and 50 clients were evacuated from the store.

The Fire Chief for East Santo Domingo, Colonel Jose R. Bueno, stressed that the installations did not have a complete system of fire extinguishers or a system that would indicate that the temperature had changed, both of which would have helped to put out the fire in time. In spite of this he said that there were sufficient fire hydrants and a cistern which were used to put out the blaze.

For his part, Zaglul said that the store had the equipment required by the regulations because otherwise they would not have been allowed to open. He said that in this 15 year old Sirena store, there are 15 renters.

The fire produced a lot of nervousness. Curious lookers-on took advantage of the occasion to take photos and watch the smoke from the Charles De Gaulle Avenue and other nearby areas. The fireman, Captain Isaac Rodriguez, passed out from physical exhaustion and smoke inhalation and received first aid.

General Ludwing Suardi, the regional director of the National Police for East Santo Domingo, said he ordered the store surrounded by 65 police agents and several mobile unites watched over three trucks used to take currency to the bank.

Mayor Juan de los Santos appeared on the scene and said he regretted the incident. He recognized that the lack of appropriate fire extinguishers and that there are businessmen that have put up resistance to install them. Colonel Bueno attributed this to the large investment needed and a lack of understanding of the situation.

Through a communiqué sent out on the social networks of Tweeter and FaceBook, the Ramos Group reported yesterday to clients, suppliers. Collaborators and related persons that their store on the Charles De Gaulle will be closed to the public due to the fire and that due to the quick intervention of the security personnel there were no injuries. They thanked the opportune intervention of the Fire Department, the Civil Defense and the National Police

A joke in bad taste

In the middle of the search operations and while the firemen were fighting the fire, a desperate woman, Griselda Rivera, arrived alleging that her husband called her on his cell phone asking for help. "I am here inside woman, the smoke is making me dizzy. Call my brothers so they can get me out," she repeated amidst sobs the last words that were heard from her husband, 34 year old engineer Jose Arias before communication was lost. Later, the authorities confirmed that it was all a very bad joke because the engineer was drinking in a colmado in the area.