Overheated fan caused fire that claimed Bartica pensioner’s life – GFS

The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) on Friday confirmed that the fire that claimed the life of 94-year-old Albert Hopkinson of the township of Bartica in Region Seven had been caused by an overheated electrical fan.
This finding has followed a lengthy investigation conducted by officials of the Guyana Fire Service.
It has been reported that, on August 14, 2024, the GFS was alerted to this fire, which reportedly started at about 13:20h at Sixth Street and Third Avenue in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and responded by dispatching to the scene a water tender and water bowser with their respective crews.
Upon their arrival on the scene some five minutes later, the firemen observed the two-storey, wooden-and-concrete building engulfed in flames, which resulted in the top floor of the building being destroyed.

The building had been owned by Albert Hopkinson and his daughter Dawn Hopkinson. The nonagenarian had sustained second and third-degree burns about his body, while his daughter had sustained first and second-degree burns about her body. They were both airlifted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where the elderly man succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.
Citizens are hereby being reminded to exercise caution and follow safety measures in order to avoid home fires. The following advice has been issued: Homes should be equipped with fire prevention and firefighting devices such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or buckets of sand, which (would) aid in alerting people to a fire and (in) putting it out quickly.
Additionally, while grillwork provides homes and businesses with security, it is necessary to have an evacuation plan in place in the eventuality of a fire or other emergencies.