Seven persons lost their homes after a fire gutted two houses at First Street, Alexander Village yesterday.
Although the fire left millions in property damage, no one was hurt and the diligence of quick-responding fire-fighters was credited with preventing the blaze from spreading to nearby houses.
The fire started just before 7:45 am at the Lot 42 First Street residence, where three occupants, including Pricilla Collins, 80, lived. With assistance from strong winds, it then spread to the upper-flat of the neighbouring Lot 41, where Neshelle Younge, a nurse, lived alone. Her blinds caught fire and the fire quickly spread to the rest of the building. A friend was also staying with Younge in the apartment, while on the bottom flat of the building Molly Josiah lived with her two small children, who are 11- and 12-years-old.
Deputy Fire Chief Winston McGregor told reporters at the scene that the first report of the fire was received at 7:45am and they immediately responded with four vehicles, including three water tenders.
McGregor said based on the proximity of the buildings, “the fire service did an excellent job” containing the fire. When fire-fighters arrived, he added, the entire upper flat of the Lot 41 house was “well lit” and they had to work on a strategy to contain the blaze.
He was not immediately able to pronounce on the origin of the fire, which some residents suggested was electrical.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene, two fire engines were still parked in front of the buildings, which were still smoking. A third was drawing water from a nearby trench.
Residents praised the fire-fighters for work hard to ensure that the two buildings bordering the gutted ones were saved. The buildings were, however, badly-scorched.
Younge, who works at the Palms geriatric home, believed that if the fire-fighters had heeded her pleas, her building could have been saved. She said when the fire-fighters arrived she urged them to soak her house in a bid to save it and not to concentrate on the other building, which was already gutted.
“I said mister, me house ain’t gone yet, soak me. He gone pun dat one and dat done bunin down. I din gone as yet,” she said.
She was at home when the fire started and when she looked out of her window she saw the fire on the other building, “gushing, gushing.”
According to Younge, all her valuables went up in flames as she was unable to save anything. “My losses is over four million dollars. I had a well furnished home with everything,” she said.
She had been living as a tenant in the building for six years.
Josiah had also been a tenant, living in the bottom flat over the last three years.
She burst into tears when she saw the damaged interior of her house, from where she was later seen fetching water-soaked appliances. She later said she would have to look for a place for her and her children to spend the night at least.
Josiah, who left the house with her children left since around 5:30am, recounted receiving a call from someone who informed her that her house was on fire. When she arrived, she saw “them trying to save de downstairs. The upstairs din already gone. They were trying really hard.”
By that time, the other house where the fire started had already been gutted.
A distressed Collins, who was seated in a neighbour’s home, told this newspaper that during the episode she was scared but she managed to walk out of the building unassisted. The elderly woman recounted that she smelled something burning and then shortly after she saw flames coming from a bedroom. She said that she started shouting for fire but no one apparently heard her.
Neighbours only became aware that something was amiss when the fire spread, she added.
Carla Trotman-Richards, a relative of Collins, said she was told the fire appeared to be electrical in origin. A resident, she said, told her that the night before the lights were blinking on and off. The resident subsequently told this newspaper that she smelled something burning throughout the day on Thursday into the night. However, it seemed that no one called the Guyana Power and Light Company because it was unclear from where the smell originated.
Trotman-Richards said that generations of her family had resided at the property and she estimated their losses to be around $15M.
