A pensioner lost his home yesterday when a two-storey Kingston building went up in flames.
The fire started just after 8 am at the Lot 33 Barrack Street, Kingston residence belonging to Dhanhiram Harcharan, 81, also known as Harry.
Harcharan, a gardener, lived alone and was not at home when the fire started. He said he was returning home from work when he saw fire trucks and persons gathering around.
Harcharan said he lost “everything” except for a few documents he had in his hand when he was speaking with this newspaper.
The Guyana Fire Service’s Divisional Operations Officer, Gregory Wickham, told Stabroek News that after receiving a report that a building was on fire, the first tender that responded found the
building well engulfed.
A decision was then made to increase the number of available pumps to three to lend support to the first fire truck at the scene.
He said the firefighters were initially able to bring the fire under control but their efforts were partially impeded by the Guyana Power and Light, which took some time to turn the power off in the area.
Apart from that and the confined space in which they were operating, the firefighters, he said, were able to adequately respond due to their extensive training. He commended the work of the firemen in containing the fire as they were successful at bringing the fire under control and eventually extinguishing it.
Wickham also related that the fire is suspected to have started on the ground floor of the building before spreading to the top.
He added that an investigative team would be working to determine what exactly caused the fire.
Sherwin McPhoy, who lives obliquely opposite to Harcharan, told this newspaper that he was asleep when his aunt woke him and asked if Harcharan was at home because they saw smoke coming from the ceiling.
“By the time we run out to see if anybody home, apparently the door and stuff was locked, and by the time we went around to alert the neighbours to tell them what was going on, the firefighters arrived and start put the fire out.”
Another neighbour, Andy Atkinson said, “I saw smoke on the corner when I got up, I saw the top of the house was in flames, then the fire truck came.”
Atkinson described Harcharan as someone everyone knows as he has lived in the community for quite some time.
Other bystanders commended the fire service for their fast response while also noting that the community also played a part in getting the fire out as quickly as possible.
Harcharan said he would be staying with his son, who resides at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara, for the time being. (Readawne Henery)
