A young couple of East Canefield, East Canje Berbice will be counting their losses this Christmas after the two-storey, four-bedroom home they occupied was completely destroyed by a fire yesterday.
Suspected to be electrical in origin, the fire began around 11.45 am. A neighbour, Neeta Basdeo, said she first saw smoke emanating from the lower flat of the house. “I went upstairs and I hear she calling on she brother-in-law and me hear she a call hard. When me look through the window me see smoke a come out from over there, the downstairs. When me see the smoke did plenty and the fire been start flame up already,” the neighbour said.
At this time the resident of the Lot 29 East Canefield Settlement, East Canje, Berbice home was already aware of the fire and was seeking assistance from her brother-in-law, who occupies the front house.
Garfield Fyffe, who resided at the house explained to Stabroek News that although the property was owned by an overseas-based Guyanese, he had resided there for over 12 years and had been making renovations and furnishing the home. Fyfee who runs a block-making business said he was out at work when his wife phoned him and informed him of the fire.
“I was going for sand and me girl call and said come now that fire deh in we front room downstairs,” he said, adding that he rushed back and was told by his wife that she first saw the fire coming from the front room in the lower flat of the house. He stated that the main fuse box was located in that room. He also noted that no appliances or lights were on when the fire began.
Fyfee estimated his losses at $10 million, listing items he could remember off hand that he had in his home. “Me had furniture, a 60-inch television, gas cooker, fridge, a lot of things,” a distraught Fyffe said. He had resided in the house with his wife and his brother-in-law and will now take up residence with his mother, who lives a couple of streets away.
Meanwhile, when Stabroek News arrived at the scene of the fire, the fire service had not yet arrived but neighbours and public-spirited persons formed a bucket brigade and tried to save whatever little they could. However, only a chair set was retrieved.
Residents also vented their frustration that the fire service took a while to get there. Stabroek News witnessed three trucks from the Fire Service in New Amsterdam rushing to the scene. The firefighters in their numbers rushed out of the trucks with their hoses and bravely tackled the blaze, which by then had taken over the entire house. They soaked the neighbouring house as well in an effort to prevent the blaze from spreading and succeeded in putting out the fire shortly after they arrived.
A fire officer at the scene said it was understandable that persons’ first instinct would be to attempt to out the fire themselves but at the same time it was important to remember to phone the fire service before the fire escalates. According to information gathered, the house which was completely destroyed in the fire, was insured.
