A fire of unknown orgin yesterday afternoon swept through a one-storey house located at 2067 Section ‘C’, Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
The home was rented to Lolita Singh, a 55-year-old receptionist who is now homeless.
Singh told Stabroek News yesterday that after work she was walking through Diamond making her way home, unaware that it was her building that she occupied that was on fire. She couldn’t say what might have caused the fire because she would normally leave home in the morning without making breakfast.
“I didn’t light no stove this morning and I know I normally check the electricity before I leave the home, so I don’t know what caused the fire.” She relayed that so far she is hearing it is electricial.
Singh disclosed that her apartment was fully furnished and estimates that she spent about $1 million to furnish it. She added that she will have to now stay at her relative’s home.
Saseopaul Looknauth who resides at 1985 Section ‘C’, Block ‘X’, Great Diamond, which is located opposite the now destroyed home, related to the Stabroek News yesterday that around 16.30 hours he was entering his yard when he saw the smoke across the street. At first, he and a relative took no notice of it until they realised that the smoke was emanating from the inside the house.
“A man took a chance and ran in the yard in order to save the dogs but three dogs burn up in the fire because the pen located at the bottom of the home was locked.. The electricial wire then started to come down and the roof started to come down on him so he got to save two of the dogs.” Looknauth added that he informed the next door neighbour and they called the Guyana Fire Service, who arrived promptly on the scene and were able to save the home next door to the blaze.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Persaud who, with her son, occupied the upper flat of the two-storey house next door, told Stabroek News that she is not sure what happened because no one was home at the time of the fire. She said she was at work and received a call at around 16.45 hours yesterday from the owner of the home saying, that the house next door was on fire and that the blaze is going over to her home. “I couldn’t do anything because I thought I was left homeless.” However, when she arrived on the scene, she was relieved to see that firefighters had already prevented the flames from spreading to her home. The PVC gutters were destroyed at one side of the house, while her ceiling suffered minor damage, and a car that was parked in her yard was scorched by the flames. Nothing else was damaged by the fire.
