16 homeless after fire partially destroys Rasville home
Sixteen people have been left homeless after a fire partially destroyed their two-storey dwelling house at Lot 46-46 Rasville, Roxanne Burham Gardens, Georgetown on Saturday afternoon.
The family property housed three siblings and their children, along with tenants in different apartments in the building.
Occupant of the house, Collanda Howes
When Guyana Times arrived on the scene, this reporter was told that the blaze had started in one of the apartments in the upper flat of the building, and had quickly spread through the inside of the building, leaving only the concrete exterior standing.
One of the occupants, Collanda Howes, a vendor, told this publication that she was at the market when she received a call about the fire, and rushed home.
The woman explained that her brother and sister were occupying the upper flat of the house, living in separate apartments with their children. She said her brother’s son alerted him that there was a fire in the house.
The house that was destroyed by fire
“I was selling and my phone ring. When I pick up the phone, my brother told me that everything was on fire…I don’t have nothing left,” the distraught vendor said.
Howes added that she has been struggling to make a living, and now this clamantly has befallen her family.
“It is very hard to get back everything, because I am a single parent. It is just me and my son that live together, and this is very hard. I did my home piece-piece, I throw box, I did all kinds of things to get my home done. I even make cold medicine to sell, and everything burn up… Today [Saturday], all I sell was $1000, and had to give City Council $500…it is hard…I have nothing left”, the tearful woman said.
Meanwhile, at the scene, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham related that three fire tenders had been dispatched after a report of the first was made.
“The first arriving tender, some distance away, noticed smoke and flames coming out from the building, and so they send out the report for backup… We were able to stop the fire from spreading to any other structure,” Wickham explained.
According to the Deputy Fire Chief, “Our investigators are going through the rubble to be able to find what would’ve led to the destruction of this property by fire.”
No injury was reported. (G9)
