One person is now homeless after a fire destroyed a house located in East Canje, Berbice. Flames were seen coming from the building shortly before 19:00h on Sunday evening.
This is a case of suspected arson as the taxi driver has said that only a few days ago he found some of his clothes burnt.
Phenix Wilson
Phenix Wilson, a taxi driver who lived at the house alone, was not at home at the time.
One eyewitness, Sherry Bipat, who lives nearby said that the fire engulfed the house quicky.
“Pax, pax, pax,” are the sounds she heard as she lay in her bed.
According to her, it wasn’t until she heard the sound of vehicles backing up on the road and the voices of several persons that she decided to investigate. She first noticed a bright reflection coming from a zinc fence. Upon further investigation, she noticed that her neighbour’s home was on fire.
The raging fire at the East Canje, Berbice house
“By the time I reach on the road the structure for the house fall down. In less than half an hour the house burn down. The fire reel didn’t take long to come but by the time they reached the house was already burnt,” the woman related.
Firefighters were, however, able to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings.
Wilson said he was at the wash bay when he received the news but by the time he arrived, scores of persons were at the scene and the building had fallen to the ground.
“A security from the community centre said that the fire came from around the house like somebody throw some gasoline and light the place afire; in the space of ten minutes, it already on the ground,” he related.
Twenty-nine-year-old Wilson is of the view that the fire is an act of arson.
The aftermath of the fire
“Last Wednesday night I came home and was watching TV and about 12:30h I heard a noise at the back but the rays don’t have a fence to the one side, so I didn’t pay attention to it because I thought it was some animal that came into the yard. when I wake up the morning, I see all my clothes that I washed disappeared and one of the jersey burn at the back, but still I did not take it for anything serious.”
Wilson, who is renting the building, had been living there for the past 12 years. He said even money he was saving to purchase a car was destroyed in the fire.
“I lost everything; furniture, documents, clothes. The clothes I have on now is what I went to buy last night at Pitt Street. Tonight again I will have to go and buy something else because all the clothes burnt. I was saving some money to buy a vehicle … everything burn up. I have to thank God for life, I could work again and get back everything,” he added.
Persons who are interested in providing some assistance to Wilson can contact him on telephone number (592) 697-9614. Meanwhile, the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force have launched an investigation. (G4)
