At 12:28 hrs today, the Fire Service received a call alerting to a fire at Lot 547 Health Centre Street, Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo.
The Guyana Fire Service said in a release that water tenders #81 and #84 from Leonora Fire Station were dispatched, with the first unit arriving at 12:37 hrs carrying 18,738 liters of water.
The affected structure was a two-storey wooden and concrete building owned by 33-year-old Deoraj Jaggernauth.
The ground floor housed Jaggernauth and his family of four, while the first floor was occupied by 34-year-old Felix Lindore, Lorena Lopes, and Fahaliz Valentino.
Unfortunately, the fire resulted in the complete destruction of the building and its contents, the release said.
The cause of the fire was determined to be the overheating of an un-rated drop cord, which came into contact with nearby combustible materials, igniting the blaze.
Additionally, a nearby one-flat wooden and concrete house at Lot 546 Health Centre Street, owned by 45-year-old Parbattie Sewchand which she occupied with 21-year-old Ravishtaa Dass, suffered damage from radiated heat.
As a result, 11 meters of PVC guttering were destroyed.
To combat the fire, two jets from Water Tenders #81 and #84 tank supplies were utilized.