A FIRE that started shortly after midnight Friday at Farm, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara devoured an amply furnished two-bedroom house and displaced a couple who was at the time involved in a domestic squabble. Luckily, the couple’s two children were not on location at time of the fire.

It is strongly suspected that arson was involved in the destruction of the building. Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle said it was reported that the male party of the fighting couple ignited the flames. He is in police custody as the investigations continue.
Gentle said the Guyana Fire Service branch at Mahaica responded promptly to the call, received shortly after midnight on Friday last, but by the time they arrived on the scene, the edifice had been completely consumed by fire. All they could then do was douse the embers, thereby containing the fire from spreading to the nearby building.
Last Thursday afternoon, fire started by children left at home unattended razed a cottage in Bare Root, East Coast Demerara and left a family of seven homeless. Two children were reportedly playing with matches when they ignited a mattress in the bedroom of the cottage, and the ensuing fire quickly consumed the entire wooden building before the tender from Mahaica Fire Station was able to respond to the fire call.
Gentle said the GFS received the call at 13:59 hours, and the Mahaica Fire Station was alerted and promptly responded; but given that it was raining and the roads were wet and slippery, the tender took some time before it reached the location.
Moreover, the deplorable condition of the road leading into Bare Root greatly hampered efforts to get to the fire scene as quickly as possible. He said villagers of Bare Root had formed a bucket brigade which had successfully prevented the flames from spreading to a nearby house. Thus when the fire tender arrived on scene, the building had already been reduced to rubble, but the children had also managed to exit the building before it was gutted.
Gentle said the home owner has been identified as Allison Herbert, who had occupied the house with her family of six, including children.
He urged parents/guardians to ensure that children are not left at home unattended, and that matches be kept out of their reach at all times, since carelessness, he said, is what results in many house fires.