A fire last evening completely destroyed a wooden house in William Street, Kitty, leaving some 13 people homeless.
The fire, which began in a bottom-floor apartment of the two-storey building at around five yesterday afternoon, quickly spread to the other three apartment of the house located between Alexander and Pere streets.
The tenant of the apartment where the fire reportedly started told Stabroek News that they had been experiencing electrical difficulties. The tenant explained that the landlord had been told repeatedly that it felt like “the electricity was pulling.” The tenant also stated that they had complained to the landlord Wayne Griffith called “Harry” about exposed wires which had been sparking.
“I say to him Harry one of these days we gonna come home and meet fire and that is what happen tonight,” the tenant said.
There were reportedly five sets of tenants; four apartments at the bottom were occupied by two Nigerian students, a mother and her five children, a university student, her brother and partner and one other male tenant.
The upstairs was occupied by the brother of the landlord.
Everything in all the apartments was destroyed or damaged and this includes furniture, electrical appliances, clothing, text books and certificates.
Fire fighters who responded to the call were reportedly stymied by low water pressure and non-functioning hydrants. They could be observed drawing water from a trench on Vlissingen road.
