RADHICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
A fire inside the Mon Repos Fire headquarters in San Fernando last evening has temporarily left the station without electricity.
According to reports, the electrical meter which measures the amount of energy consumed by the station caught fire around 6.30 pm.
A source said the fire was quickly brought under control and officials of T&TEC later took away the meter.
Up to this morning, the building remained without electricity. A generator was brought in to power the lights but the water pumps, air conditioning and other appliances were inoperable.
A senior fire official said two weeks ago, the Electrical Inspectorate declared the wiring unsafe and gave the T&T Fire Service 14 days to rectify the problems.
"The point of entrance cable was changed, as well as the meter base. The Inspectorate checked it and failed it. They were given some more time to do further work and then this fire occurred," the official said.
The building is usually occupied by almost 100 people during the day and 30-plus at nights.
Officers said the electrical wiring on the 70-year-old building must be done soon to prevent any further fire mishaps.