THE Guyana Fire Service had its work cut out yesterday after they were forced to respond to four separate fires in Regions 3 and 4, less than a day after the catastrophic fire Sunday morning that destroyed a complex at Camp and Robb Streets.There was a fire yesterday morning at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo which left some five persons homeless. According to Fire Chief Marlon Gentle, initial investigations point to the blaze being

started maliciously following a dispute over the property.
He added that after the Fire Service received the call about the fire they responded with a tender from the Leonora Fire Station. As the firefighters were wrapping up their work at the Tuschen scene a call came through about another fire at Crane Housing Scheme which left another five persons homeless.
Gentle said that the initial investigations at the Crane fire indicated that it was electrical in origin and might have started in the roof of the upper flat of the two-storey building.
He confirmed that no one was at home at the time the fire started and when the tenders arrived at the scene, one from Leonora and another from West Ruimveldt in Georgetown, the entire roof of the house was already collapsing.
Four persons lived in the lower flat of the building while a pensioner, aged 71, lived in the upper flat. The man, Leonard A. Innis, was not at home at the time of the fire. He told this newspaper that he was at the U.S. Embassy when the fire started and it was only after he returned home at approximately 10.30 am that he saw the street filled with people and was informed that his house was on fire.
According to elderly man, the house is owned by his nephew who resides overseas. Asked about his next move, the man said that he would be sleeping at his sister for the time being. He could not say if the building was insured.
And yesterday afternoon the Fire Service was again forced to go into operation at Rosemary Lane, commonly called Tiger Bay, where a resource centre was gutted. Initial investigations suggested that the fire might have been set as persons reported seeing someone exiting the building and shortly after fire was seen coming from the lower flat.
The upper flat of the two-storey building was used to keep church service on Sundays and the police also used it as a resource centre for community outreach activities.
A section of the lower flat of the building is reportedly occupied by two customs brokers and it was not clear if any of them was in the building at the time of the fire.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan was also present at the scene along with Police ‘A’ Division Commander Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken and other senior police ranks. The Minister was heard lamenting about the loss and damage of proprieties as a result of the recent fires.
While firefighters were battling the blaze in Tiger Bay, colleagues from the Mahaica Fire Station were forced to respond to a fire at Melanie Damishana Public Road, East Coast Demerara where a small dwelling place was on fire.