A fire tore through the Teachers Living Quarters of the Bygeval Multilateral Secondary School, Chelsea Park, East Coast Demerara, on Monday night, displacing five families in its wake.
But the families were yesterday praising the Ministry of Education, the Regional Democratic Council and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) for their prompt response to the tragedy, including the provision of their meals yesterday and promises to continue to provide various other amenities to meet their needs.
Part of the head teacher’s apartment and a number of adjoining apartments were destroyed by the fire. They had been occupied by 17 persons, including nine young children. Residents of the traditional-style range houses were not sure of the exact time of the start of the fire but suggested that it broke out some time between 10pm and 11pm on Monday.
They stated that the fire service was signalled immediately but was unable to contain the blaze until about 2am yesterday morning, despite valiant efforts.
Head of the school’s Science Department, Samuel McPherson, 38, who stayed in the fifth apartment, said that he was awakened by the sound of breaking glass on Monday morning, minutes before his young son began screaming “fire, fire, fire in the building.” McPherson said that he immediately rushed to lead his family out. Once outside, he noticed that the third apartment in the range of apartments, which housed the school’s headmistress, was already gutted. It was later determined that the blaze originated in the third apartment, although it is not clear in what part of the apartment it started.
McPherson said that once they arrived, the fire fighters who responded did their best to contain the blaze. Apart from the third apartment, which was gutted, the second, fourth and fifth apartments sustained heavier damage than the remaining apartments, although they were not entirely spared, sustaining some amount of scorching.
Also, what the fire did not damage or destroy, the water did as the firefighters attempted to prevent the fire from spreading.
McPherson said that he was able to save around 60% of his assets mostly due to the valiant efforts of his brother-in-law, Denbar Quintin, 28, who was spending the night. After the fire service arrived, McPherson said that they were focusing on the origin of the blaze. Quintin, however, himself a fireman from the city, took a water hose and rushed into McPherson’s apartment and proceeded to saturate the area with water in an effort to slow the fire’s advance.
This, he said, allowed him and members of the community who turned out to assist to enter the apartment and salvage additional items.
Millicent George, 33, who resided in the fourth apartment, said she had lost everything. She too was asleep when the blaze started but said that she was awakened by the warning of the School’s Head Teacher. George, who serves as the Head of the School’s Home Economics Department and is also a final year student at the University of Guyana, said she had also lost all of her school items, including the work she had done for her final year thesis.
Yet another teacher, Adessa Burke said that ten minutes after she and her daughter had retired to bed, she heard someone yelling that a fire had started. Burke recalled that she froze when she heard the yells, since she thought that it was her apartment which was on fire. Hers was the second apartment. She said that for two years an electric pole situated to the rear of her apartment has been leaning closer and closer, and she has been fearing for some time that it would eventually cause a fire on her premises Burke said that she had contacted the Guyana Power and Light Company about the issue but was told that it was nothing to worry about. Burke nevertheless continued to worry about the leaning pole and thought that her fears had finally materialised.
However, upon looking through her front window, she realised that her apartment was not on fire and she quickly took her young daughter out of the burning building and began dashing in and out of her apartment in an attempt to salvage whatever she could before the fire could get to her quarters.
Two of the teachers took what they could save and were seeking temporary refuge in the school’s auditorium, while the possessions of others remained where they were placed during the fire.
The teachers said that they have been comforted at the speed with which their plight was responded to by various officials. McPherson said that within hours, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam, President of the GTU Colin Bynoe as well as the Region 4 Regional Executive Officer Deolall Rooplall and Regional Chairman Clement Corlette all turned up at the school to see what had transpired and to cater to the immediate needs of those affected. It was also said that Education Minister Priya Manickchand, who is currently out of the country, called to ascertain what had happened and offer support.
Sam yesterday confirmed that the Education Ministry was working to provide for the teachers’ basic needs and that efforts are being made to continue to ensure that they are taken care of.
The teachers say they were told that owing to the ministry’s current financial constraints, immediate repairs or reconstruction of the apartments was impossible, but said that they were given several other options.
McPherson said that it was proposed they utilise the Amerindian Hostel located in Mahaica but that he turned this down because of the distance and the cost associated in taking himself and his children to and from school each day. The teachers also said they were told that if they were able to find places to rent, the ministry would foot the bill until another form of lodging can be arranged.
While some have already begun looking for places to rent, others have opted to stay with relatives.
Investigations into the origin of the fire are ongoing.
