Over the course of the weekend, a series of devastating fires wreaked havoc on properties across Regions Two, Four and Seven, leaving a trail of destruction.
The first of the three fires engulfed an unoccupied house in Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
The incident unfolded around 22:00h on Saturday, catching the attention of nearby residents as flames consumed the two-storey building, recently leased to a family of three.
The wooden two-floored structure was entirely gutted.
Eyewitnesses recounted hearing sparking sounds emanating from the house before witnessing the rapid escalation of the fire, which had initially gone unnoticed since the family vacated the premises earlier in the week.
In the wee hours of Sunday, another fire erupted, this time in a two-storey concrete house located in Suddie Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). The blaze was seen in the building at 02:00h on Sunday at Lot 5 Suddie Housing Scheme.
There were no occupants in the house at the time of the fire.
The homeowner, Jason Narine, told Guyana Times that he received a call alerting him to the inferno, which resulted in an estimated $6 million in damage to the property.
“One of my neighbours called me saying my house is on fire. My family, including my wife and three children, used to reside here, but it’s been a while since we have not been here,” Narine said.
Intervention from Essequibo Fire Service prevented further escalation.
Adding to the weekend’s turmoil, an elderly woman narrowly escaped harm after her one-storey wooden home at Agatash, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) was allegedly set on fire.
Lucille King was in her home when the blaze started. She was taken to safety by residents that quickly responded.
All of the fires are being investigated by the Guyana Fire Service. (G9)