Several persons including a police officer and two Venezuelans are now homeless after a fire completely destroyed an Agricola residence yesterday afternoon.
In an interview with Stabroek News, one of the now homeless persons, Dennis Matthews, a police officer who lived at the Agricola residence with his grandmother, mother and brother, said that around 14:45 hrs he was returning from a GTT Fibre Kiosk to his home when he was alerted by his mother screaming that he get his grandmother out of the house as a fire had started.
Matthews said that as he approached the building he noticed smoke coming from an apartment occupied by the two Venezuelans. Matthews said he immediately rescued his grandmother and just after that the entire building was engulfed by flames.
Matthews said, “I went in front to the GTT girl from fibre, as I come back my mother start hollering for me, by time I buss the door I see the smoke coming from this Spanish guy apartment. In the height of the fire me grandmother did sleeping so I had to lift she out the house and by time I come back to throw water it was blazing. I didn’t get to save anything… my clothes, uniform, everything destroy. The fire start spreading wild, wild.”
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, visited the Lot 35 Public Road, Agricola residence. The yard, which housed three buildings, is owned by 77-year-old Bibi Mohamed. A Ministry of Home Affairs press statement said that due to the quick response by the Guyana Fire Service, the fire was contained to a single building. The statement confirmed that the building and all of its contents were destroyed.
