A FIRE of unknown origin occurred yesterday at approximately 11:15 hrs at Lot 5 Stewartville Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara leaving three persons, including a differently-abled individual, homeless. According to 50-year-old Rohannie Ramnandhan, she had recently placed her cooking pot on the fire and went downstairs of what was a two storey partly concrete structure, to take a bath, when the fire struck and took all of their possession with it.

“Where would I sleep tonight, what will I wear, ‘d fire took everything,” Rohannie sobbed uncontrollably, as some of her neighbours were busy hurling insultive remarks to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) officer, since they felt the fire could have been controlled, had the tender – GKK 9709 – arrived with water in the tank.
But while Rohannie was being consoled, her brother Ganesh who was an occupant of the home, and her daughter who resides a short distance away, arrived on the scene and broke down in tears, asking questions to all and sundry.
According to both Ganesh and Rohannie, the home was owned by their grandmother who passed it on to their sister Sabassie Ramnandhan, an employee of Broadway Fashions on Regent Street, who arrived at the scene of the fire when all was gutted and lost.
“It’s a shame and total disgrace to see the fire truck arrive on the scene, when the fire could have been controlled, out of water,” cried one angry resident of the area, who later said the building stood there for years.
Speaking with a GFS officer who said he was in control of the crew, Chronicle News learnt that the tender GKK 9709 did arrive on the scene before the fire got out of hand, but due to technical difficulties, was unable to control same and another tender was on its way.
The replacement tender did arrive, but at that time it was too late, as the building’s lower patio shed caved in to the sound of a loud wail from Rohannie, who sat on the parapet opposite her former home and watched as the flames took complete control of everything.