Four firemen are being questioned by police after two phones disappeared from the home of Traffic Chief Dion Moore, where they had responded to a fire.
One of the phones was later found under the driver’s seat of a fire service vehicle that responded.
Just after midnight, the bottom flat of Moore’s Lot 89 Belfield, East Coast Demerara home caught on fire. The origin of the fire is unknown but reports suggested that it may have been electrical in origin.
Guyana Fire Service Head of Operations Compton Sparman confirmed to Stabroek News that the firemen were being questioned by police about the disappearance of the cellular phones.
Sparman explained that after the report was made by Moore’s wife to the supervising officer, a search was conducted and one of the phones was found under the driver’s
seat in the fire service vehicle. “Now common sense would tell us a civilian would not go and do that,” he said. He added that based on the results of the investigation, the Fire Service would take disciplinary action.
Moore said his family realised the phones were missing after noticing that the area where they had been stored was not covered in dust. “The area was clean, the phone print was there,” Moore told Stabroek News.
The firemen had ventured to the upper flat to assess the damage after the fire was contained.
Moore told Stabroek News that the fire started at around 12.45am, and an alarm was raised and neighbours quickly formed a bucket brigade and assisted in containing it. “Man, woman, boy, girl, everyone quickly formed a bucket brigade and contained the fire before the fire service came,” he explained.
He added that his family had retired to bed when they were awakened by the smoke in the upper flat of the building. He said he and his family managed to escape through the verandah of the house and neighbours subsequently responded after the alarm was sounded.
Moore noted that when the firefighters from the Mahaica Fire Station responded, the fire was almost contained by his neighbours. The firemen then went in and extinguished the remaining flames.
Up to yesterday afternoon, neighbours were assisting Moore and his family to remove damaged furniture and other items that were wrecked in the fire.
Moore, his wife and three children had occupied the home. He is currently on medical leave after he was involved in an accident in March.
