Several persons lost their home following a fire that gutted a Prashad Nagar, Georgetown home yesterday afternoon.
At approximately 2.26pm, a fire of unknown origin started at the Lot 328 Sachibazaar, Prashad Nagar home and left it badly damaged. The two-storey building, which has three apartments, according to witnesses at the scene, was only occupied by one woman along with two children at the time of the fire.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene yesterday, three fire trucks were seen as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. A woman along with two children were also seen being treated in an ambulance before they were taken to the hospital.
The owner of the property, Gertrude Vieira, was distraught and at a loss for words. She was not at home when the fire started. The woman explained to Stabroek News that she was at the market after leaving home since 11 am yesterday. Vieira explained that she resided at the top flat of the building and has two apartments at the bottom flat occupied by tenants.
Vieira, who is in her 70s, said she believes that it is impossible for the fire to have started at the top flat and opined that it started at the bottom flat in the eastern apartment, where a tenant with two young children lived.
“I thought something would happen to the two children but thank God the two children are safe,” she said. Vieira related that she was aware that her other tenant’s son was home and expressed shock that he was not able to summon the firefighters to prevent the fire from reaching the top flat.
She noted that her losses would be in the millions as she had lots of antique items that were passed down from her great grandparents, along with certificates belonging to her and her father.
“My parents built this place and when they died, they left it for me only to know somebody got to come and destroy it,” a tearful Vieira said.
According to the Fire Service’s Divisional Officer in charge of George-town, Dwayne Scotland, they received a phone call about the house being on fire at around 2.26 pm and dispatched three trucks from different locations. He said that they were able to keep the fire contained to one building. When asked about complaints that the officers who responded to the call took a while to get water and machinery up and running, he responded that an investigation would have to be conducted into those complaints.
Scotland revealed that from initial investigations, the fire appeared to be one caused by accident and would have started somewhere on the top floor. “That is not confirmed as yet, we’re still carrying out investigations,” he added.
At the scene, firefighters who worked to extinguish the fire, removed two gas bottles from the bottom flat of the home and three bottles from the top flat. Police officers were also at the scene and worked to contain a crowd of persons who gathered.
