Five persons were on Friday afternoon rendered homeless after a fire suspected to be electrical in origin completely razed their home at Clifton Settlement, Corentyne, Berbice.
According to reports received, the fire started at about 11:30h just above the Guyana Power and Light meter that is installed at the house that is being rented by a taxi driver/mechanic and his family.
The aftermath of the fire on Friday
Troy Elias and his family have been occupying the Lot 202 Clifton Settlement home for the past three years. At the time of the fire, the man’s wife and three children – aged 3 to 8 months old – were at home.
When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, the entire wooden one-storey structure was already completely gutted. The distressed mechanic explained that only recently they experienced power shortages and as such, he would instruct his wife to unplug all electrical appliances when they are not in use. At the time of the fire, he noted that nothing was plugged into any electrical outlet.
According to the taxi driver, when he arrived at the scene, the building was engulfed. Reports are that after the fire was initially seen, it quickly spread into the building; firstly, igniting the curtains.
Elias explained that he was unable to save any household items. For the taxi driver, the days ahead will be difficult since his daughter is expected to start school at the beginning of the new school term.
A devastated Troy Elias speaking to the media after the fire
“I already purchased school things for her but everything gone there. It will very hard; we have lost everything. We have to start back fresh and it is not easy to start back fresh with how going in Guyana right now. I don’t know what is the next step,” the father of three cried.
Meanwhile, residents have expressed disappointment over the Guyana Fire Service’s inability to prevent total destruction. Their slow response and what residents call inexperience resulted in the complete destruction of the building.
The firefighters were also hampered in their ability to adequately carry out their job since there was no water source to tap into. By the time they could have accessed water, the house was already engulfed in flames.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
The distressed mechanic explained that only recently they experienced power shortages and as such, he would instruct his wife to unplug all electrical appliances when they are not in use. At the time of the fire, he noted that nothing was plugged into any electrical outlet.
