5 homeless as Linden apartment building goes up in flames

Five persons are now homeless following a fire which gutted a two-storey apartment building in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice), on Friday evening.

The Lot 468 Canvas City, Wismar apartment which was owned by 72-year-old Shiloh Mustafa of Silvertown, Wismar, went up in flames at approximately 19:15h.
The upper flat of the wooden and concrete building was being rented by 36-year-old Kendrick Hector, who is serving time at the Camp Street Prison.
The lower flat of the apartment was divided into two sections – one is occupied by Chybye Mc Donald, a vendor and her 7-year-old son and the other by Vanita Hackett and a miner, Denton Montou.
Enquiries disclosed that all the apartments in the building were equipped with electricity with the exception of Mc Donald’s apartment.
According to McDonald, she secured her apartment prior to the incident and went out to a bingo event with her son.
On the other hand, Hackett related that after being at home all day, she left home at about 19:00h to hang out with her friends.
However, shortly after, she received the news that her apartment building was on fire.
Firefighters from the Linden Fire Station were summoned to the scene and attempted to contain the blaze but the entire building was gutted.
Police also responded to the scene and questioned several persons in the area but reported that no useful information was received. An investigation has been launched into the incident to determine if the building was purposely set on fire.