Arson suspected as overseas-based Guyanese home destroyed by fire

A fire at Number 70 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), on Tuesday morning left one person homeless. The homeowner believes that it is an act of arson.
Joe Persaud, an overseas-based Guyanese who lives at Number 70 Village, Corentyne, said he was asleep when the fire started shortly after 01:00. He said that he was awoken by what he described as “a crackling sound” and initially thought that his home was being burglarised but when he peeked outside, he saw the flames and realised that there was a fire.

“So I quickly grabbed my passport and all my documents and phone…everything burnt other than my Canadian passport. When I ran down the inside stair to the back door, I saw a fire on the left side of the car and the stair was already ablaze and it was on the right side of the house and I barely made it out,” the man said as he recalled the ordeal.
Persaud is convinced that it was an act of arson, saying that there were cameras on the building but the cameras are linked to his phone which was burnt in the fire.
“It was definitely in my mind, arson, and I have suspects and I think they have a motive, means and opportunity,” he added. He said that there is a conflict between himself and some rice farmers, whom he claims have taken up land claims that are under his control.
“When I opened the room door and I saw the fire on the ceiling, I just stretched my hand and grabbed a pants; I left my real pants with everything inside because I was confused. You see this iron work that we put to keep thieves off, it is very dangerous; you became like a prisoner in your own house; thank God that I could have escaped through that stairway through the smoke. If I didn’t do that I would have been trapped. The bottom of my feet were burnt walking through a little bit of fire by the back door.”

Persaud, who migrated half a century ago and worked as a senior official for primary education in Canada, returned on December 7. However, he is now contemplating an earlier return. He said that he has lost millions as a result of the inferno.
One of his three combines was damaged by the blaze. There were also two tractors on the premises at the time of the fire.
“I had a lot of spare parts; you can see metal everywhere; upstairs in one was all spare parts and tools and downstairs was a lot of parts and tools and bearings,” the 75-year-old man explained.
“The house was an old building and it caught very quickly and the Fire Service was hopeless; they took so much time to fix their hoses and get water pumping. They acted as if they were new to the job,” the 75-year-old man explained.
Persaud was expected to return to Canada on January 1 but now says he might be leaving earlier. Both the Fire Department and the Police have launched an investigating. (G4)