The man who was arrested for deliberately setting the deadly fire at Sixth Street Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD) that claimed the lives of three has been released on station bail.
The landlord’s grandson who was released
This was confirmed by Regional Police Commander Phillip Azore who told Guyana Time that the 72-hour detention period had expired and as such, the Police had to release him.
Nevertheless, he noted that although the man was released, the case was “not yet over”, and ranks were awaiting the wrapping-up of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) investigation before they proceeded with theirs.
The man was identified as the grandson of the landlord. He was seen by residents leaving the premises moments before the fire started. Those who perished in the fire are Dawall Ifill, 14; his mother Beverly Miller, 40, and his step-father, Martin Lewis, 46.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle, just a day after the fire, had told the media that there were allegations about threats due to non-payment of rent, and there was some sort of confrontation between the tenants and the suspect.
However, sister to the now dead woman, Desiree Miller, who also lived in the apartment building, told reporters that the property was the source of a dispute between the dead owner’s son and the man who was arrested.
Miller said in 2019, she and other relatives who were renting apartments were told that they would have to vacate the premises because the building had been sold.
Shortly after, they were told to stay and pay a reduced rent, since the owners were trying to refund the person who had purchased the building.
The woman’s rent was reduced from $46,000 to $40,000 while the rent for others was reduced to $35,000.
