Dozens of persons, including children, are homeless after an early morning fire ravaged several wooden shacks at Broad and Lombard Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown yesterday. One victim, Kimone Cameron, of Lot 18 Broad Street, told the Guyana Chronicle she is the owner of ‘Cheap Spot Shop’ and was alerted when it started in the bottom flat of the property next door, while a neighbour was in the process of demolishing the building.
She said the entire structure, which had serviced the community for years and was occupied by six others, was destroyed.
Cameron said they are still to decide what next to do but she plans to rebuild the business. Her family was only able to save a few pieces of clothing, a child’s bicycle and a television set.
Another of the victims, Bridget Robinson said she and four others lived in one of the apartments where all her belongings are water-soaked because she was unable to get anything out of the building.
Joyce Barton said she had been living there for the past 26 years and all her worldly possessions are gone.
Reports said a man, Philip (only name given) called ‘Chicken Chest’ and another identified only as ‘Blacks’, with the approval of several other residents, began to demolish a derelict at the location. Both of them were taken away by the police for questioning.
It is also reported that the demolition exercise may have started the conflagration when an exposed electrical connection snapped.
However, quick action by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), which responded with four tenders, prevented the flames from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle said they received the call at 07:05 hrs and quickly began sourcing water from the Demerara River through Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) and Laparkan wharves.
He said when the firemen arrived at the location, the conflagration was raging and two small wooden, derelict shacks were completely burnt but they contained the fire, which is believed to be electrical in origin.
Gentle, yesterday again, cautioned against disposing of garbage by burning at road corners as that poses threats to infrastructure (bridges, culverts and utility poles) in light of the current dry season.

He said the GFS has responded to numerous calls which he deemed nuisance fires, in which garbage heaps are set alight as a means of disposing refuse but get out of control.
On August 10, fire, the origin of which is still being investigated, completely destroyed the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) Marine Stores and the Marine Building which once housed the residence of its senior employees and damaged Ming’s Products and Services Limited, at Lot 6 Urquhart and Water Streets, South Cummingsburg, also in the city.
Millions of dollars worth of spare parts, belonging to T&HD, were consumed in the disaster which erupted shortly before 01:00 hrs.