A family of five is now homeless after a fire reportedly started by a four-year-old child gutted their house at Lot 21 B Public Road Agricola, East Bank Demerara on Sunday. The fire started at about 15: 40h.
Reports are that the fire started in one of the bedrooms in the upper flat of the building and quickly engulfed the dwelling place, leaving no time to salvage anything. Firefighters responded quickly and managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings which were approximately 10 feet away.
When Guyana Times International arrived on the scene, firefighters were containing the fire, while the occupants were being consoled by relatives.
While it was reported that the fire was started by the four-year-old, it was also rumoured that the inferno might have been electrical in origin.
Devastated: The family contemplate their next move
Ashley William, 37, a mother of four, stated that she was sitting on the steps, along with two of her children, plaiting her hair when her four-year-old daughter ran out of the bedroom and told her that the mattress was on fire. She immediately went into the room where she observed the fire. “We get water and started to throw on the fire, but more water you throw more, the fire get big. I collect the children and run out of the house,” Williams related.
She explained that she and three of her children live there, while her husband lives with his mother in Campbellville and her eldest child works in the interior.
She said that she recently moved into the house. Williams said they were unable to save anything and were not sure where they will be seeking refuge for the night. Her husband, Patrick Lewis, was not on the scene.
The owner of the house, Angela Rahaman related that she was at home when she heard the screams and upon checking, she saw the building on fire. She explained that the building was recently purchased from an uncle and did not have any electricity or water.
Rahaman in tears said that the building was given to her security guard for his family to occupy since they did not have anywhere to stay. “It is about a month they have been living there, and we were in the process of acquiring electricity and water so that they could have lived a more comfortable life,” Rahaman noted.
Meanwhile, a senior fire official noted that they received a call at about 15: 42h, and three tenders were immediately dispatched to the location. “One fire tender from West Ruimveldt Fire Station and two from Central Fire Station were deployed and with their efficiency due to the training they received, they were able to control the fire. We were able to save the building on the south and north, but those buildings were scorched,” the official noted.
He said preliminary investigations have revealed that “children were playing with matches”, hence the fire. The official stated that the fire started on the upper flat of the two-storey building and quickly spread to the other parts of the house. He praised the firefighters for their hard work in putting out the fire which resulted in the other building being saved.
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