A Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown property went up in flames on Tuesday morning, after a fire of unknown origin started in the upper flat of the building and quickly ripped through the structure.
Towering flames from the upper flat of the structure
Based on information received, the fire started just after 10:00h at the Lot 178 Durbana Square, Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown house.
At that time, just the housekeeper was at home. The fire was consuming the building, while onlookers anxiously awaited the arrival of the Guyana Fire Service – whose closest station is located a short distance away.
The two-storied house, built mainly from concrete, was battered as the fire extended to other adjoining spaces. When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, firefighters had arrived and were working to contain the flames from reaching neighbouring houses. Three fire tenders had shown up and due to the availability of a hydrant with water supply in close proximity, they were able to douse the inferno in a short span of time.
Divisional Officer of Operations for the GFS, Gregory Wickham
Persons at the scene indicated that they came out after noticing the billowing flames and immediately contacted the fire department. However, the fire had already ruined the internal structure of the house, causing extensive damages. The upper flat was dealt significant blows as fragments collapsed later on.
Sharda Veeran-Chan explained that her brother, Noel Shewjattan, is the owner of the property. He also operates Auto Fashion, Campbellville, Georgetown, and was out of town at the time.
“There is extensive damages upstairs. She [the housekeeper] was in the yard so she doesn’t know…They’re [the owners] out of town. They should be here by the end of the day,” the woman said.
As firefighters extinguished the burning structure, relatives and neighbours turned up at the scene to witness what unfolded. Divisional Officer of Operations for the GFS, Gregory Wickham provided more clarity on what transpired after an initial assessment. He told the media that they responded to calls that the house was on fire.
The housekeeper was alerted by an explosive sound, which alerted her that a fire broke out. From their initial observation, Wickham noted that her description was consistent.
“Generally, we got the call. We responded with three tenders. When we arrived, we noticed that the top floor of the structure was fully engulfed in flames so they went into operation. We received information that the maid was in the building at the time of the fire. She was on the lower floor and she heard a booming sound coming from the top floor. When she got upstairs to investigate, she saw fire coming from one of the rooms,” he shared.
Aftermath of the blaze
Upon quelling the fire, only the blemished structure remained. He stated that officers will comb through the remnants to establish what transpired.
“Our investigative team are on the ground and they’re going through the rubbles or the remaining of what is there. They’ll certainly come up with the cause of the fire. The top floor and its contents was completely destroyed.”
Wickham pointed towards the advantage of having a fire hydrant on site which aided in containing the tragic situation, thus saving nearby structures. Some would have only suffered minor scorches outside.
“Kudos to GWI (Guyana Water Incorporated) for allowing us to use the hydrant and getting water out of it. That’s a good point because we weren’t hindered by the firefighting process because of lack of water. We had enough water to bring the fire under control. On approaching any structure, we do a quick assessment and then we implement a system that would bring control in order to stop the fire spread to structures nearby,” the Divisional Officer said.
