Unattended gas stove may have led to Kitty inferno – GFS

According to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the Thursday fire in Kitty, Georgetown, which has left three families homeless after destroying two homes, was supposedly caused by a lit six- burner gas stove being left unattended.
One of the homes razed during the late-afternoon blaze belonged to local sports journalist, Rawle Welch, whose wife sustained first degree burns.
Welch was not at home at the time of the fire but his 62-year-old wife, who was home at the time the fire started, sustained first degree burns to her right hand and right foot.

The fire is reported to have started at around 15:30h on Thursday at the lot 62 William Street, Kitty, Georgetown home of Welch, and quickly spread to the neighboring house, severely damaging the lot 64 William Street, Kitty property of Julius Browne.
The inferno has since left 15 persons from three separate families with no place to call home.
The Fire Service said that after receiving the first call at about 15:35h, a team of eight firefighters arrived on the scene several minutes later.
The GFS crew deployed two jets to extinguish the fire but unfortunately the initial building where the fire started, was completely destroyed.
More tragedy followed when the fire moved on to destroy the first floor of the neighbouring building and severely damaged its ground floor.
The 62-year-old received medical attention from the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) at the scene, and was subsequently transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for further treatment
The GFS is appealing to the general public to ensure that all gas cylinders are turned off when not in use, and to desist from leaving gas stoves unattended when in use.