A fire, suspected to be the result of arson, has destroyed a building that housed a library and an ICT hub in the Bush Lot Community Centre Ground, Region Five.
The building was donated by the Madramootoo family several years ago for a community library.
Latchmin Azeez, 51, Chairperson of the Bush Lot Community Development Council and a Community Development Officer attached to the Ministry of Communities in Region Five, yesterday said the “building had thousands of books, a huge table and some chairs. E-gov had installed equipment for an ICT hub two years ago.”
According to information gathered, the building was not being used for some time.
A source told Stabroek News that a resident noticed smoke emanating from the compound around 3.20 am yesterday and alerted the fire service, which quickly arrived and put out the blaze.
The fire service has since launched an investigation. However, the source noted that it is suspected that the fire was deliberately started.
In March, Azeez’s butcher shop, also located in Bush Lot Village, West Coast Berbice, was torched in an attack that she believed was politically-motivated.
The destruction of the shop, owned by Latchmin and her husband Jamal, both APNU+AFC coalition supporters, prompted President David Granger to voice his concerns about “civil violence” in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and to condemn acts of hostility against innocent citizens.
The butcher shop has since been rebuilt by the APNU+AFC.
