GPF pledges full support to Commander after fire guts home

…fire service yet to determine cause of fire

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has pledged its support to bring relief to G Division (Essequibo Coast-Islands) Commander, Crystal Robinson and her family after her Stewartville, West Coast Demerara home was completely gutted by fire early Saturday morning.

In a statement to the press, the GPF said that a high-level team led by acting Commissioner of Police Nigel Hoppie on Saturday visited the burnt remains of Robinson’s home. “He [Hoppie] personally assured her of the Force administration‘s full support in bringing relief to the family at this most difficult time,” the missive read.
Along with the acting Commissioner, Crime Chief (ag) Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston; Deputy Commander of D Division, Superintendent Dion Moore; Personal Assistant to the Commissioner, Superintendent Allistair Roberts; Deputy Traffic Chief, Deputy Superintendent Joseph Jack as well as other senior officers were present to lend their support.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Fire Service is yet to determine the cause of the fire which completely destroyed the two-storey building during the wee hours of Saturday.
The Commander in a brief interview on Monday explained that she has been staying with a relative in the same village since her home was destroyed. She said she is awaiting the GFS report before she begins reconstructing her house.
In an interview with this publication on Saturday, she had explained that she was at the Police Pageant at the National Cultural Centre when she received a call at about 12:30h informing her of the fire.
She explained that by the time she reached her Lot 154 Back Street, Stewartville, WCD, home, it was already completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters, who arrived at the scene late, were also unable to save anything from the blaze.
She complained that the first fire tender got stuck in mud on its way to her home, while the second arrived without water. By the time the third one got there the house was already destroyed.
Robinson told this publication that she lived in that home for 51 years with her parents and other relatives. Luckily, none of the five occupants was at home at the time of the fire.
According to her, a neighbour observed flames in the garage of the house and contacted the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), which took some time before showing up at the scene.
Robinson said that three vehicles including PMM 7862, PSS 1387 and PVV 2106 were destroyed by the fire.