Unattended gas stove bursts into flames, ECD house destroyed

A fire of so far unknown origin ravaged a home in Success on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), leaving one person homeless.
According to reports, the residence belonged to Shafiez Mohamed, a 49-year-old who was living at Lot 412 Success, East Coast Demerara. The fire ignited around 23:15h on Thursday night.
Mohamed occupied the lower floor of the two-storey wooden and concrete structure, encompassed by a well-fenced yard.
He told investigators that he was cooking in the kitchen area of his home, and he left his gas stove unattended for about two minutes to fetch a bucket of water from outside. Upon his return, he was met with a kitchen area engulfed in flames.
He suspected a gas leak from his cooking gas bottle and attempted to douse the fire by placing a damp cloth over it. Unfortunately, this proved ineffective. He then alerted his family members residing on the upper floor, and they promptly evacuated the building.
Subsequently, the Police and the Guyana Fire Service were summoned to the scene. Sub-Officer Reed and an Alberttown and Campbeville Fire Service team responded and extinguished the flames. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Just two days prior, similar incidents occurred where unattended stoves led to devastating fires, leaving four individuals homeless in separate incidents. These fires resulted in the destruction of three residences in Golden Grove and Mon Repos on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
The first fire occurred on Tuesday in Mon Repos, destroying two homes and displacing three people.
Firefighters from Melanie and Campbellville Fire Stations responded to the emergency. The primary affected structure was owned by a 59-year-old man named Baldeo, who resided there with 24-year-old Radha Baldeo.
An adjacent wooden house owned by 29-year-old Sudesh Motie was also consumed by the flames. The Fire Service’s investigation revealed that the fire originated from an unattended one-burner makeshift stove and rapidly spread, resulting in the destruction of both buildings.
In a separate occurrence on Wednesday in Golden Grove, a one-storey residence owned by 70-year-old Martha Annbick was destroyed by another fire caused by an unattended one-burner kerosene stove. Firefighters arrived to find the house already engulfed in flames.
Following these incidents, the Guyana Fire Service issued a statement advising that they have observed an increase in house fires, particularly those originating in kitchens. To prevent such fires while cooking, they advised people to never leave stovetop cooking unattended and to regularly check items in the oven. They recommended installing smoke detectors, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers in homes. (G9)