Children playing with matches caused Louisa Row fire – GFS

An investigation by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has found that the Louisa Row, Wortmanville, Georgetown fire on Friday afternoon was caused after unattended children played with matches – which ignited nearby combustibles and spread to the entire apartment.
Immediate action and expert firefighting resulted in the minimisation of damage to the apartment building that was threatened by fire, the Fire Service said on Saturday.
At approximately 16:06h, the Fire Department was alerted to a fire at Lot C Louisa Row, Wortmanville, Georgetown. Water tenders from the Central and West Ruimveldt Fire Stations were immediately dispatched to the location.
The structure involved was a two-storey timber and concrete building owned by Malinda Prescott and operated as an apartment complex. Apartment One, located on the eastern half of the ground floor, was occupied by 48-year-old Simone Moe and her family of three. As a result of the fire, this apartment was slightly damaged by smoke and water.

Apartment Two, located on the western half of the ground floor, was occupied by 37-year-old Candacy Lowe and her family of three. As a result of the fire, the apartment and its contents were destroyed, leaving four people homeless.
Apartment Three, located on the eastern half of the top floor, was occupied by 35-year-old Khari George and her family of three. As a result of the fire, this apartment was slightly damaged by smoke and water.
Apartment Four, located on the western half of the top floor, was occupied by 47-year-old Neil Reynolds and his family of four. As a result of the fire, this apartment and its contents were severely damaged.
One jet working via water relay, one jet working from an open water supply, one jet working from a carrier tank supply and subsequently an open circuit water relay were used to extinguish the fire.
On Thursday, a fire also completely gutted a house at 2nd Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara. The structure involved was a one-storey wooden building owned by 44-year-old Balram Singh, which he occupied with his family of three. Two houses located on the eastern and western sides of the burnt building were also affected by the fire, and three vehicles belonging to 43-year-old Poramraj Singh, which were parked under his building, were destroyed by the fire. (G12)