Two dilapidated cottages in Kitty were yesterday afternoon destroyed by fire in what neighbours believe was the result of one of the occupants forgetting about a lit kerosene stove.
The Lot 39 Public Road, Kitty, cottages were occupied by two men only identified as ‘Strong Boy’ and Sherwin.
It was in ‘Strong Boy’s’ home that the fire originated, shortly after 3pm, and because of the dilapidated state of the buildings, it quickly spread to the other cottage behind it, ravaging both in the process.
“I was home and saw this black smoke and start calling inside for Strong Boy…but by the time I could blink, the house done gone and the back catch and
gone too,” a neighbour, who asked not to be named, told Stabroek News at
the scene.
“He put on the pot and been cooking something and then went up the road, like about a couple houses down. When the fire start, he came back with a cutlass in he hand, saw the fire and police here and start cuss up and then beat out,” another neighbour added.
One neighbour explained that the property’s owners are overseas and that the buildings have, for a long time, been occupied by the man, who they believe is mentally ill, and his friends.
The occupant of the cottage located at the back, was in Berbice at the time the fire began.
The Guyana Fire Service quickly contained the blaze and none of the wooden homes nearby were affected.
