A house was completely burnt and a hotel saved from destruction following a fire which left millions of dollars worth of damage and four persons homeless in Pere Street, Kitty just before 10 last night.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has once again come in for criticism for their tardiness and their lack of sufficient water to fight the flames which were fuelled by winds coming from the Atlantic.
The fire-fighters were aided by several young men who bravely jumped into the hotel and battled the intense heat.
The house was located at Lot 46 Pere Street, and the fire, which is believed to be electrical in origin completely destroyed it. The left side of the Manila Hotel, Resturant and Bar which is located next door, was badly burnt. The persistence of the fire-fighters and public-spirited citizens ensured that it was not completely destroyed.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene about twenty minutes after the conflagration had started fire-fighters were preparing to face the flames. As they concentrated their efforts on the left side of the house, the strong breeze blew the fire over to the hotel. The absence of water stalled the firemen, and after they realized that the house was already lost they concentrated their efforts on the hotel, while their colleagues, now armed with a hose continued fighting the flames of the house ensuring that they did not spread to another building.
Fire-fighters resorted to taking water from a nearby trench as well as the swimming pool at the New Courtyard.
Relatives of the occupants of the house openly wept, as hundreds of persons converged on the scene to get a glimpse of the fire. The occupants could save nothing and the only possessions they now have is the clothes on their backs.
Occupant Navin Singh told Stabroek News that there had been a fluctuation of current to the premises during the day. He had noticed it when he came home around noon and he later went out. When he returned around 5.30 and turned on the light, he noticed it again and decided to unplug all appliances including the refrigerator and the micro-wave.
He said his brother told him that Guyana Power and Light (GPL) workers were on a pole in front of his home during the day.
He was in the lower flat of the house in a hammock when his brother who was in the upper flat began yelling fire. He could not say in which part of the house the fire started, but they both ran out of the house and the fire station was called. Singh claimed that the firemen arrived about 15 minutes after the blaze had started and then there was no water.
Singh said that he has been living in the property since the 1980s and had never experienced a fire there before.
Meanwhile the owner of the hotel, Paul Griffith and his son Carey, were on the scene assessing the damage to their building.
Speaking to members of the media Carey said that the fire started around 9.45 and he actually met the fire engine on Sheriff Street and brought it to the scene, but the fire-fighters were out of water, and the New Courtyard provided water from their swimming pool.