Millions of dollars were lost when a house at La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara (WCD), went up in flames on Tuesday night.
Guyana Times understands that the fire reportedly started at about 22:00h in the lower flat of the building, which formally housed a beer garden.
The completely gutted structure at La Jalousie, WCD
The fire, suspected to be electrical in origin, completely gutted the two-storey wooden and concrete building. According to reports, the building was uninhabited at the time.
Speaking with this newspaper, a resident said he heard shouts of a fire by other residents and subsequently saw the building on fire. He added that fire fighters responded promptly, but there was little they could have done to save the building. As such, they focused on containing the fire from spreading.
Owner of the burnt building, Sarwant Tapsi, who also owns Kishans Aluminium Windows and Doors, said he was informed of the incident on Wednesday morning.
He explained that he was not properly briefed as to what occurred, while noting that this was the second fire at the location in recent times. The first fire, he noted, was set by someone who is now serving time in prison for arson.
The matter was reported to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station and investigations are currently underway. Officials from the Guyana Fire Service have also launched a probe into the incident.
