A mysterious fire yesterday morning completely destroyed a wooden building at Vigilance, East Coast Demerara (ECD), leaving three persons homeless.
The Lot 55 Vigilance North, ECD structure which had two apartments went up in flames around 11.15 am yesterday and the tenants estimate their losses to be in the millions. The house at the time had no access to electricity.
One of the apartments was occupied by a couple, whose names were given as Denis Baggot and Adela Duncan. The identity of the individual who lived in the second apartment where the fire started was not immediately known and he was not seen during the incident. Both apartments were rentals and efforts to speak to the owner proved futile.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene, two fire trucks were present and firefighters were trying to extinguish the blaze. A large crowd had gathered. Among them was a pregnant villager who fainted and had to be transported to the hospital.
At the site yesterday, Duncan related to this newspaper that she was cooking when she heard a loud explosion in the other apartment. “I hear something go ‘pow!’ and I run downstairs quick and call out for my neighbour but by time I did that the fire did done blazing,” she said while adding that persons in the area assisted in throwing buckets of water on the burning house but the heat was too intense and the fire got out of control.
The woman who was living in the rented apartment with her husband for over three years said she did not manage to save any of her belongings since she ran for her life. “I had some money, all that burn up, my passport, bank cards, everything gone,” the visibly-distressed woman related.
Baggot said he was a short distance away when some of his friends alerted him that the house was on fire. The man said when he arrived the house was already gutted. “All I left with now is what I have on here, my clothes,” he said.
The couple had no idea what their next move will be, but Duncan said she will be staying at her daughter’s house.
A neighbour, Nikesha (only name given) said she was in her house with her family when she heard Duncan shouting. “When we run out, the whole front of the house did cover in thick fire,” she said.
