Covent Garden fire caused by electrical circuit overload – GFS confirms

The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has officially confirmed that the devastating fire that engulfed three houses in Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was electrical in origin.
According to the GFS report, the fire was caused by an overloaded electrical circuit at the building at Lot 99 Second Street, Covent Garden, EBD.
The GFS has said that the emergency call alerting the authorities to the blaze was received at 12:38h, and water tenders and a water carrier had been dispatched from the Eccles and West Ruimveldt fire stations. The first responders had arrived on the scene at 12:50h, but had found the two-storey wooden-and-concrete building already consumed by flames. The property was owned by Babita Persaud, who had resided there with six other individuals.
This fire also damaged the top floor of a nearby building and two motor cars, leaving several people homeless. In addition to the primary building at Lot 99 Second Street, another two-storey house at Lot 100 Second Street, Covent Garden suffered extensive damage due to heat radiated from the fire. That building was owned by Bisnauth Ramcholock and was occupied by Erik Hubbard and three others. The ground floor of that building has been severely affected.
Further, a two-storey wooden-and-concrete building at Lot 98 Second Street, Covent Garden was also damaged by radiated heat.
Owned by Angela Ramsawack and occupied by several others,
several louvre panes of that building were destroyed, and the entire northern internal wall, along with various household items, has been severely damaged.
The fire was extinguished through the combined efforts of four jets from water tender #115 and water carrier #14, along with two jets from Light Pump #115 utilizing an open water source.
In light of this incident, and to prevent electrical fires and safeguard homes, the GFS is recommending several safety measures, among which are: avoiding the overloading of outlets; equipping homes with fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and smoke alarms; refraining from using illegal electrical connections; keeping electrical cords away from rugs or furniture pinch points; plugging heat-generating appliances directly into outlets and not into power strips or extension cords; periodically having a licensed electrician review your home’s electrical system to detect and prevent potential hazards; charging laptops and phones on hard surfaces, avoiding beds or sofas; disconnecting charging equipment when devices are fully charged, to avoid overcharging and potential battery fires; and unplugging electrical devices and appliances when not in use, in order to minimize risks. (G9)