By Subhana Shiwmangal
A fire that was electrical in nature yesterday afternoon completely destroyed two houses and damaged another at Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara leaving 11 persons including children, homeless.
According to the neighbours, the fire started around 12 pm after a fuse box overloaded and caught fire. The two families that were affected told this newspaper that they lost everything, including their money, documents, cars, and children’s school uniforms. Another house that was close to the destroyed buildings was partially damaged.
Chief Fire Officer of the Guyana Fire Service, Gregory Wickham, told Stabroek News via telephone yesterday that around 12:37 pm, firefighters responded to a blaze at Covent Garden and three fire tenders were utilised. He disclosed that the fire was electrical in nature and two wooden and concrete buildings were completely destroyed while another was damaged.
A devastated Jennifer Persaud, who resided at 99 Covent Garden, the house where the fire originated, told this newspaper yesterday that around 12 pm she was downstairs when her son alerted her that there was a fire upstairs. She immediately ran upstairs and saw that the fuse box was on fire and her 13-year-old son ran downstairs for water with the intention to putting out the fire, but before he could do that, the fire started to spread quickly. She recounted that she couldn’t do anything and started to shout to alert the neighbours that there was a fire and for them to call the fire service. She said she grabbed her 2-year-old baby and ran out of the house along with her two sons.
She lamented that she couldn’t save anything from her home. She estimated that they have lost over $60 million including the house and two cars. She said her home was fully furnished and all her family’s possessions were destroyed in the fire.
Persaud is at a loss as to what may have caused the fuse box to overload because on Monday, Guyana Power and Light (GPL) technicians came to fix her prepaid meter. She plans to spend the night with relatives since she has nowhere to go now. She is imploring the public for assistance to acquire building materials to rebuild her home as her husband, a mechanic, is the only breadwinner. She also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the fire service handled the situation as she claims they arrived late on the scene with no water, and had to use the nearby trench.
Another woman, Samantha Hubbard, 36, who rented the house next door at 100 Covent Garden, with her two children, husband and friend, related that at the time of the fire she, her daughter and a friend were at home when she heard Persaud shouting, “fire! fire!”. She said she alerted the two occupants of the home and then ran out the back door and started to throw water on the building as her 17-year-old daughter jumped off the balcony. Thankfully, a neighbour caught her, as Hubbard and her friend ran out of the home. The woman related that she was unable to estimate the value of what she lost in the fire but lamented that she lost everything she owned in the home, including her refrigerator, stove, children’s belongings, documents and jewellery.
She, too, was not happy with the firefighters’ response when they arrived on the scene. She said that the neighbours contacted the Fire Service and they showed up around 1 pm. At that time, two houses, including hers, had been completed destroyed by the fire while the firefighters barely came in time to douse the blaze at Lot 98 Covent Garden. She added that when the fire tender arrived, it did not have water to put the fire out.
Meanwhile, Angela Ramsaroop of Lot 98 Covent Garden, said that at the time of the fire she was in her hammock in the yard and her daughter and son were upstairs. She explained when Persaud alerted the neighbours of fire, she immediately ran outside while her daughter ran out from the bathroom and grabbed her son, and fled outside. She said the neighbours called the fire service and even though the firefighters arrived at around 1pm, they did a good job in putting the fire out. As a result of the fire, the wall of her house closest to the fire was damaged. Three hammocks, some of her belongings, a few documents, a wardrobe, television, bed, and windows were damaged by the fire. She too is calling for assistance from the public for help in building a new wall or replacing what she had lost.
Water carrier
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) in a release yesterday said that it received a call at 12:38 pm about the fire.
Water tenders and a water carrier from the Eccles and West Ruimveldt fire stations were immediately dispatched to the location, with the first appliance arriving on scene at 12:50 pm.
Upon arrival, firefighters saw a two-storey wooden and concrete building engulfed in flames.
The building was owned by Babita Persaud, which she occupied along with six others.
By the time the fire was extinguished, the building of origin, the top floor of a nearby building, and two motor cars had been destroyed, leaving eleven people homeless.
The GFS said that the fire was caused by the overload of an electrical circuit, which resulted in arcing and sparking and subsequently ignited nearby combustible materials.
Also affected by the fire was a two-storey house at Lot 100 Second Street, Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara.
The building is owned by Bisnauth Ramcholock and occupied by Erik Hubbard and three others. Due to radiated heat from the building of origin, the top floor of the building was destroyed, and the ground floor was severely damaged.
Additionally, another two-storey wooden and concrete building located at Lot 98 Second Street, Covent Garden, owned by Angela Ramsawack, which she occupied along with ten others, was also affected by the blaze, the GFS said.
Radiated heat from the building of origin destroyed several louvre window panes, while the entire northern internal wall and a quantity of household items were severely damaged.
Four jets working from water tender #115 and water carrier #14 tank supplies, along with two jets operating from Light Pump #115 via an open water source, were used to extinguish the fire, the GFS added.
