… believe arsonist at work in Block 22, Wismar
FIRE Chief, Marlon Gentle said yesterday that fire investigators have re-visited the scene of the fire on D’urban Street, Georgetown, which destroyed a building that housed a fish shop, but the cause remains undetermined, so far.
Gentle told the Guyana Chronicle that a team from the Fire service, accompanied by the fire inspector, will investigate whether the fire was electrical in nature, or whether arson was involved.
He added that neighbours said they had observed flames emanating from inside the upper flat of the building; and others spoke of a property dispute between the man that operates the fish shop at the premises and another person.
The Fire Service received the fire call at about 20:20 hrs on Saturday night and three fire tenders and two fire tankers responded form the Central Alberttown and West Ruimveldt Fire Stations.
The owner of the fish shop lived on the upper flat, while the lower flat housed the business.
The owner of the building has since been arrested and is in police custody pending investigations into the origin of the fire.
Four persons are homeless as a result of the fire.
Meanwhile, following the fire at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, on Friday, Gentle said that the fire started when a mentally challenged woman left a pot on the fire unattended in a wooden shack aback of the property located at 36 E New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop.
He commended the firefighters for their efforts as the fire was contained in one building, and the two buildings in the same lot were saved.
Two persons were displaced, Denzil Vidal, 60, and the woman.
The Fire Chief stated that within recent times there has been a number of fires in Block 22, Wismar, and in every case the occupants were not at home.
He said there could be an arsonist at work in the area, setting fires to buildings when no one is around.