At least twelve persons are making alternative living arrangements after a fire destroyed four living quarters at West Ruimveldt, Georgetown on Thursday. The fire reportedly started at about 12:12h in one of the apartments.
Station Officer at the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), Clive McDonald told the media that they would have received reports of the fire at about 12:23h and several tenders including the one at West Ruimveldt Fire Station were dispatched to the area.
The destruction caused by the fire
The others were from Central and Eccles Fire Stations.
McDonald explained that upon arriving at the scene, the range house was engulfed in flames and the firefighters immediately went into operation to contain the blaze to one location.
“We’re still undergoing investigations to ascertain the origin and then we will come up to the cause of the fire,” McDonald said.
The four dwelling quarters within the range house have some attachment, McDonald explained, so as investigations continue, the investigators will be able to provide a clearer picture of the fire’s origin.
Several residents were in their respective homes when the fire started but they all manage to escape the inferno without any reported injuries.
An occupant of one of the apartments, Veronique Noel stated that she was in her home when the fire began. “I just smelled things burning. I called out to my neighbours but the place was already in flames,” Noel stated.
Similarly, a resident, Nadia Divine expressed that a relative – 27-year-old Vanessa Moore – was the only occupant of the house at the time.
Divine, who was outside with others, alerted Moore and others to run to safety. “We notified them because they were inside, so when the fire started Moore she didn’t even alert anybody,” Divine said.
“She was downstairs baking cross buns,” the woman added as the family runs a catering business from their home. “We lost all the money, because we have orders…we lost everything,” Divine expressed.
“Everything is gone. We barely get to save an old chair and a shoe rack. Nothing more we get to save—TV gone, freezer gone, the clothes, the bed, everything,” Divine added.
