Mentally ill man allegedly sets Enmore home on fire
A fire suspected to be an act of arson has completely razed a wooden structure at Newtown, Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The Enmore, East Coast Demerara house that was gutted by fire
Based on reports, the fire started at about 01:00h and quickly engulfed the building located at Lot 309 Hope East, Enmore, ECD.
Lorraine Singh, the landlord, told Guyana Times in a telephone interview that last Wednesday, the occupant of the house— who goes by the name “Black Boy”— had left a lit cigarette on the sofa as he went about his business. Almost one hour after he left the house, she saw smoke emanating from the building and with the assistance of neighbours, they were able to put out the blaze.
She explained, “We rented the house and give it to a lady and her son after my husband’s brother died. They lived there long till they stop paying rent, since 2015. Only last month they move out … the mother moved out and leave the son there and the boy light the house afire inside.”
The homeowner further added that the occupant who is believed to have started the fire is known in the community to be of unsound mind. Guyana Times understands that there was no electricity supply attached to the house at the time of the fire.
Divisional Commander of the Guyana Fire Service, Gregory Wickham explained that the investigations have thus far revealed that the fire was maliciously set afire by an unidentified person. The Police have launched an investigation into the suspected arson.
