A fire that resulted from a slack connection and faulty electrical wiring has caused significant damage to the structure and contents of a Montrose two-storey wooden and concrete home on Saturday night.
This is according to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) which said that on Saturday they received a call at approximately 21:08 hrs about a fire at Lot 239 Montrose, East Coast Demerara. The GFS said water tenders 105, 85, along with water carrier 14 from the Campbellville Fire Station, Eccles Fire Station, and Fire Service Headquarters, responded to the scene.
GFS said that upon arrival at 21:55 hrs, firefighters found a two-storey wooden and concrete building engulfed in flames. The GFS stated that the fire was able to spread to other parts of the building after nearby combustible materials became ignited, resulting in significant damage to the structure and its contents. Despite the challenges posed by the intensity of the fire, firefighters extinguished the flames by 22:48 hrs.
An eyewitness, Angie Mohamed, who resides across the street from the blaze, told the Stabroek News that she was relaxing in her car when she heard, “Plack, Pack!” and then someone next to her said. “Look! There is fire.” She related that she saw a small blaze in the upper flat of the home and immediately called the GFS. Meanwhile, Cyril Ramdeen father of the owner of the property, Arjune Persaud, related that when he received a call about 10:30 pm from neighbours that the house was on fire, he rushed to the scene but by the time he arrived, the fire service had almost completed putting out the blaze.
Ramdeen said his son resided at a different location and at the time of the fire, the house was empty as repairs were planned for the structure. Ramdeen said his son had asked the previous tenant to vacate the premises so as to facilitate the repairs. When asked to estimate the losses from the fire, he informed this newspaper that he only knew about furniture which belonged to the previous tenant, who was supposed to have removed it, but had not done so. He said that his son was currently overseas.
