A businesswoman is among several others counting their losses following an early morning fire in Kitty, Georgetown that reduced three buildings to ashes.
The fire reported started at about 01:15h at Lot 11 Sandy Babb and Railway Streets, Kitty, Georgetown, and rapidly spread to a Beer Garden located at Lot 12 and another building owned by a doctor at Lot 10.
Guyana Times understands that the building in which the fire started is owned by an overseas-based Guyanese but was occupied by several relatives.
The houses on Fire on Thursday evening
One day before the fire, the occupants of the house reportedly had a heated argument during which one of the young men threated to set the place on fire. However, on Thursday evening, another argument broke out and it was at this time that the young man allegedly set a mattress alight in one of the bedrooms.
Due to the high winds, the fire reportedly spread rapidly. Some are of the opinion that the absence of an effective firefighting operation lead to the fire completely destroying three building.
Since there were no fire hydrants in the area, fire fighters eventually tapped into a water source at Vlissengen Road but by this time, all three buildings were already engulfed. Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told media operatives that after the Guyana
The aftermath of the fire
Fire Service received the call, tenders from several stations in Georgetown were dispatched to the scene.
He explained that by the time the tenders arrived, the wooden structures were already in flames but the firefighters kicked into firefighting mode. Two of the officers were injured during the operation, he noted.
However, at the scene on Friday morning, members of the Guyana Power and Light were working assiduously to restore power to the area. Several lamp poles were destroyed as a result of the blaze which has affected the entire Kitty area. Several persons were at the scene discussing the fire and how it started.
It is believed that the person who set the mattress on fire is a well-known drug addict. His mother, from all indications, operated a “run shop” at her house.
Nevertheless, Dineshwar Rampersaud, whose mother owns the liquor shop that
Hundreds of thousands in drinks that damage during the fire
was destroyed by the fire, explained that he returned home at about 23:00h on Thursday evening and went to bed.
He said he was awakened after he felt a heat emanating through the windows of his bedroom. As he got up, his realised that his room was illuminated and as he looked through his window, he saw the ‘middle house’ on fire.
“I came out of my room, got my mom out of her room, bring her downstairs, take her out of the house, get the car out of the garage, and did not get to go back into the house,” he noted. He noted that the flames were so severe; it prevented him from reentering the home to save any household items.
At the time of the blaze, he and his mother were the only two occupants of the house.
When asked about his neighbours, Rampersaud related that several reports are at the Kitty Police Station about their behavior, suggesting that the fire was purposely set.
While he could not estimate his family’s losses, he noted that millions were destroyed including credited goods and stocks.
He posited that only last December, they renovated sections of their house with modern amenities and his mother who was the owner of the business had plans to open another.
While the building is insured, he posited the insurance cannot compensate for the amount of losses his mother has suffered.
Althea Solomon, who rented the upper flat of the house where the fire started, explained that after realising that fire was raging beneath her, she quickly grabbed her two children and ran to safety without turning back.
She confirmed that the fire was started by a “well known drug addict” after he set his mattress on fire. “Instead of throwing out the mattress, he rushed out of the house and ran away,” Soloman added.
In addition, Dr Rambaran, owner of the Lot 10 Sandy Babb and Railway Streets, Kitty property said the building was rented to two tenants. The doctor disclosed that she received a telephone call at about 01:30h informing her that the house was on fire.
She along with her husband and father rushed to the scene only to be greeted with heavy smoke and flames. While none of the tenants were able to save anything, one of them lost his dog in the fire. The occupants of a house at the back lost their car which was parked in front of Dr Rambaran’s yard.
“It was impossible to get from the back house to the road to remove the car,” she added. Meanwhile, residents have lashed out at the Guyana Fire Service, claiming that they if the fire fighters had come equipped, at least one building could have been saved.
Officials from the Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force have launched an investigation into the fire. Up to press time, it is unsure if the suspected arsonist was arrested.
