A fire of unknown origin gutted a house at 2nd Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara yesterday at about 17:20 hours.
One of the occupants, Balram Singh, who helped manage a family business, told Stabroek News that when the fire started, he was at the Shine Taxi Service base when his phone began ringing incessantly.
The taxi service is a family business that is located a few houses away from the one that was burnt.
Singh added that when he answered the phone, his niece who was at home with his mother said, “Come quick come quick, abeh house ah bun down.”
When he got there, the house was already engulfed in flames. His niece and mother, who were unhurt, told him that the fire had started downstairs. Singh disclosed that he and his brothers recently invested millions and had ordered some tyre machinery and vulcanizing material to open their new business. The equipment was stored downstairs in the house. Also they recently received a consignment of vehicle spare parts as they are making preparations to launch the business. The fire destroyed a one-storey wooden building, a light truck, two Toyota Premio cars, and millions in tyre machinery and spare parts.
Singh told Stabroek News that the afternoon was very breezy and as a result the fire raged in different directions, causing damage to the houses of their two neighbours. The neighbour’s windows were broken as a result of the heat and other parts of their houses sustained minor heat damage.
Singh was traumatized and saddened as he explained his horrific experience. He emphasised that they were about to launch their business and “everything went up in flames. Right now me ah shake as me ah talk to you. I wish if fire service could ah come fast by time them come the whole house in fire all over, and that was like an hour after the fire start.”
Fire Chief, Gregory Wickham told Stabroek News that when firefighters arrived on the scene, the building was fully engulfed and another house was threatened.
