A businessman was left counting millions of dollars in losses after a fire, suspected to be deliberately set, gutted his Good Hope, East Coast Deme-rara (ECD) home, furniture factory and bond early yesterday morning.
The fire started around 4 am and quickly ripped through the Pradeep Furni-ture Factory and bond situated aback the Lot 243 Phase One, Good Hope, ECD property. It quickly spread to the businessman’s single flat concrete house in front.
The property is owned by Mohan Jangbir, known as “Pradeep”, the proprietor of the factory and bond.
Mohan, his wife, Sukhi Jangbir, their two children, Romiro and Mandy Jangbir, and their three-year-old grandson occupied the house.
A large quantity of furniture, mostly those to be put on sale during the coming Christmas season and supplies were packed in the bond.
The family only managed to save two vehicles, a canter truck and a pick-up, and two birds.
Mohan estimated his losses to be some $60 million. “Everything, everything bun up. Me had, leh meh seh about $25 million in furniture in deh. We stock up fah Christmas,” Mohan said.
An investigation has since been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
However, a source close to the investigation told Sunday Stabroek that arson is suspected. The source said it is believed that the fire was allegedly set by a neighbour, who had an ongoing feud with Pradeep for some time and even previously threatened to set fire to his business in the past.
Mohan yesterday explained to Sunday Stabroek that he and his family were awakened by neighbours and luckily they managed to evacuate the building in time.
“If meh neighbour nah been wake meh, all abe been guh burn to death in this house,” Mohan said.
“When abe wake up now, meh smell smoke in the house. Suh me she, ‘Weh this smoke ah come from…?’ When meh try fah put on the light, there is no light in the house. And meh wife seh ‘Bai hear people ah call fah abe outside.’ And the man (neighbour) seh ‘Bai watch yuh house pun fire,’” Mohan recounted.
The businessman said that he ran to open the door to the factory but he was unable to enter since it was already engulfed by flames.
He said he then rushed to move his vehicles away from the scene. “…And meh run in back the house, meh see meh bird them and meh pull down two bird cage and when fah go back into the house meh can’t go in the house, fire all ova the place. Me can’t tek out no clothes, nothing,” he added.
Threats
A resident of the area, Indra (only name given) told Sunday Stabroek that she woke up to the smell of smoke.
At first, she said, she thought it was an abandoned house situated next door to her home that was on fire.
“Meh smell the smoke and meh wake up meh son. It gah one abandon house side ah me deh, meh seh ‘Bai see, like meh smell smoke watch dah house ova deh’. When he watch now, he seh ‘No mommy, ah Uncle Pradeep place ah bun’. When we peep out, me see the fire deh ’til ah back, the house nah been bun down yet,” Indra related.
She explained that sometime ago, a neighbour reportedly told her that she would set fire to Pradeep house and business.
“…Meh mind run pun this lady ova the next door. That she been talk one time, she been talk one time, she tell me that she carry this man (Pradeep) ah court and she got to see this man business flat. She got to get one million dollar pun this man ah court fah wah the dust ah go inside she place and destroy she place,” Indra said.
“She seh she gon’ pay somebody fah go in deh, chop up all the workers and chop up the man. She talk that how she guh pay somebody fah bun down this man house. She talk them thing this,” she added.
Indra further explained that the neighbour and Mohan never “get along” since they moved to live in the area. She said they woman would always complain that the noise and dust from Mohan factory would disturb her.
“She and this man (Pradeep) nah talk since them come live hay, because she tell meh dust ah bother am. She tell meh one time, this man business and everything he got, gah guh flat….Yuh know how much millions ah dollar this man lost hay? This man got all…yuh see the upper flat, he nah gah place fah walk, furniture pack pun furniture….this man carry ah big lost hay,” Indra noted.
However, Mohan told Sunday Stabroek that he only learnt of the threats made by his neighbour after the fire.
“Well meh gah one neighbour always want fah close meh business down. The business affect she, is nah nothing else affect she……She neva tell me she guh burn meh place down, people seh that how, she seh she go bun meh place down. Me nah been know, now meh know,” he said.
Mohan said on about three occasions, the neighbour sued him for $1 million but lost the cases.
Meanwhile, Romiro said when he woke up, he felt the heat and quickly rushed for his crying three-year-old nephew.
“When me get up… me see like all the window start buss up, ceiling start fall down. When me push open me room door now, then me get this heat and the lil boy (nephew) went in the back room……and me run out and run fah the lil boy, because the lil boy been ah cry,” Romiro said.
Lame
Neighbours told this newspaper that they were alerted by loud noise coming from the Jangbirs’ residence.
Cindy (only name given) said due to the commotion, she assumed someone had broken into the premises but later learnt that the building was on fire.
Cindy said her husband called the Guyana Fire Service.
“The whole back part was already on fire and it did already coming on the house. By time, we call and come downstairs, the whole front on fire. The place did already gone far, even when the fire service come, they couldn’t ah do nothing, the whole building was already on fire,” Cindy related.
She explained that when the fire service arrived, there was a delay due to the lack of water.
“The fire service was very, very lame. When they come they barely had wata….by time two, three minutes, the wata cut off, I think they had to tek wata from the drain,” Cindy added.
‘This place ain’t last musse even nah fifteen minutes,” another neighbour noted.
Mohan said the building was insured. “The insure wah it insure can’t even compensate fah half ah the furniture in meh place. All the machine wah bun up,” he noted.
When asked about his next move, the businessman noted, “me guh just ask god fah geh meh health and strength”.
Until he decides what to do next, Mohan said he and his family will seeking shelter at a relative place.