Agricola fire destroys 2 buildings, severely damages another
A fire of unknown origin erupted at Romulus Street, Agricola at approximately 15:00h on Thursday, September 1, and completely destroyed two buildings in that Greater Georgetown community even as it severely damaged another before it was extinguished.
The devastation caused by the fire on Thursday
The conflagration completely ravaged a two-storey home and the upper flat of another; and due to the intense heat, the glass windows of a third building were shattered, and contents of that building were destroyed.
Upon receiving report of the fire, several tenders from the Eccles and Central Fire Stations were deployed to the area, but by the time they arrived there, the buildings were completely engulfed. And although firefighters had immediately sprung into action, they were unable to save the two buildings from destruction. They, however, managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to other buildings.
At the scene, Harry (only name given), who lived with his mother in the upper flat of one of the destroyed houses, explained that he was not at home when the fire started. He said he heard the commotion and went to investigate, and then discovered that his home was on fire.
He explained that he and his mother had occupied the upper flat of the building, while a tenant had occupied the lower flat. That tenant was reportedly at home when the fire started. The cause of the inferno is yet to be determined.
Devlin (only name given), who had lived in the upper flat of the other house, recalled that she was in front of the yard when she heard children screaming. She, too, discovered the house on fire only upon investigating the reason why the children were screaming.
She told Guyana Times she had heard an explosion, and, soon after, flames quickly consumed the house in which she had lived for the past year. According to the young woman, the former occupants of the building were unable to save anything from being destroyed by the fire, and she estimates losses to be in the millions.
Officials of the Guyana Fire Service have launched an investigation into the circumstances that caused the fire.
