The home of an overseas-based Guyanese woman went up in flames early yesterday morning.
At around 5.15 am yesterday, villagers were alerted by a passerby of smoke emanating from the Lot 34, Canal Dam, Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara house, owned by Elaine Pollard, 80.
Stabroek News was told that while the house was unoccupied, resident Safraz Baksh was left as the caretaker of the home.
Responding to the alarm, Ayodeji Fraser, a neighbour whose house was threatened by the fire, said responders were prevented from containing the fire as the building was well secured.
Fraser explained that as the fire quickly intensified, windows from the eastern side of his house began to shatter. He also noted that a section of the wall was scorched as a result of the growing flames.
“The boys formed a bucket brigade and began to soak the walls. Persons also began to remove items from my house because we didn’t know if the building would have caught fire. So we tried to save what we can,” Fraser explained.
He related that Pollard’s house was well furnished with modern amenities and had five bedrooms.
The man explained that when the fire service arrived on the scene, the building was already engulfed.
Two fire tenders from the Mahaica Fire Station and the Campbellville Fire Station responded and battled the fire, which villagers estimated to have lasted over an hour.
The estimated cost of damage is unknown at the moment and it is unclear if the house was insured. The origin of the fire remains unknown but investigations are underway.
The debris of Elaine Pollard’s house, which was destroyed in the fire yesterday morning.
