Fire Chief Lawrence David says investigations at fire scenes across the country have uncovered that arsonists are at work and are destroying buildings to settle disputes.
A record 33 buildings were affected by fire within the past three months, David said yesterday, noting that investigations have disclosed that fourteen (42.4%) were maliciously set on fire, while the causes of ten (10.3%) are still to be determined. There is also a suspicion that of the remaining amount some may be the work of arsonists.
He referred to the situation as unusual and alarming. Of the 33 buildings affected since August 1, 18 were completed destroyed; 10 were severely damaged and 5 were slightly damaged.
Deliberately set fires are seen as a severe threat, according to David since they spread rapidly “eliminating the opportunity for an effective response by the Guyana Fire Service”.
The presence of accelerants at fire scenes and verbal evidence submitted to the fire service were among factors that informed investigators in determining which fires were deliberately set, David told Stabroek News yesterday. In fire investigations, the term ‘accelerant’ is used to mean any substance that initiates or promotes a fire.
He said the Guyana Fire Service has records on file that represent a body of work carried out on the various fire scenes that it has determined were the work of arsonists, but pointed out that such information is confidential and can only be released to the relevant authorities.
He said they are only mandated to find the origins of fires and to relay those findings to the police, which is the relevant body to follow-up on fire service reports.
The Fire Chief could provide no details on whether the police have followed-up the arson cases identified by the fire service, but he noted that in the past arrests have been made and persons were placed before the courts. He cautioned that persons found engaging in the act would face the full force of the law.
Asked whether he is satisfied with the investigations carried out in the cases they have determined were the work of arsonists, David said, he is satisfied with what he saw in the reports that went to him. “The investigations are carried out by various officers and they go in knowing what to do, look for and how to find it and based on the reports I have read the duties were well executed”, he said.
Further, he stated that the investigations would include sampling the debris, looking at fire patterns and taking statements from victims among other persons, in addition to other things.
Properties suspected to have been destroyed by arsonists following the fire service investigations are:
Plot 3 Lot 8 Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke, Linden Highway
Lot 43 Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam
Lot 18 Brickdam, Georgetown (Ministry of Agriculture)
Lot 228 Block 1, Kilcoy Village, Corentyne, Berbice
Georgetown Public Hospital, Middle Street, Georgetown
Lots 11/6 Trinity Street, New Amsterdam
Lot 1114 Bell West Squatting Area, Canal No. 2, West Bank Demerara
Wallers Delight Squatting Area, West Coast Demerara
Matthew Allen Road, New Amsterdam
Lots 16/3 New Street, New Amsterdam
South Slip Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara
Lot 66 Middle Street, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara
Mc Nabb, Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast
Lot 7 School Street, Affiance, Essequibo Coast.
