Deadly fire at Windsor Forest was caused by fluctuations in electricity – GFS
The fire at Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara (WCD), that claimed the life of Rajindra Mohabir, was caused by fluctuations in electricity that led to arcing and sparking at the breaker panel box which subsequently ignited nearby combustibles.
This was revealed by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) in its preliminary investigation into the deadly fire which occurred on Sunday.
Dead: Rajindra “Slowie” Mohabir
The Fire Service also reported that a wooden one-storey building was also affected by the blaze.
Due to radiated heat from the building of origin, a GPL meter and two meters of PVC piping were destroyed, while a staircase and western wall were damaged.
Additionally, a wooden and galvanised shed was slightly damaged along with a wooden fence.
It was reported that Mohabir, popularly known as “Slowie” met his demise after being trapped in the fire which started at about 14:00h.
The two-storey concrete building housed a grocery store, and the Building Your Life Ministries International Church on the bottom flat, while the top flat was the living quarters.
Mohabir’s son is the pastor of the church, and members were all preparing for their afternoon service when the area experienced low voltage followed by a power outage.
The aftermath of the fire
Shortly after, the electricity was restored, and they heard an explosion in the building, followed by flames. The fire quickly began to spread throughout the building. All of the occupants successfully rushed out of the house, however, Mohabir thought his grandchild – who was visiting – was trapped inside.
As such, the businessman rushed into the burning building to rescue the child. The grandchild, however, was not in danger.
The businessman was eventually trapped inside the building, which began to collapse from the inferno.
The Guyana Fire Service was called to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze. They spent hours rummaging through the debris to locate the missing man. His charred body was later found and taken to Dawn and Ezekiel’s funeral home.
