THE Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is investigating three recent fires – at Hubu Road, Parika, East Bank Essequibo; D’urban Backlands, Georgetown; and Alness, Corentyne, East Berbice. In two of those fires, dwelling houses were set alight by two enraged and drunken men, while the other house was destroyed by a mysterious fire, leaving 14 persons homeless.
On the morning of Tuesday, at about 09:00 hrs, an abusive husband living at Hubu Road, Parika, East Bank Essequibo set his one-bedroom wooden house alight while his wife was away at work. Earlier, he had had a quarrel with the woman.
The woman, Sharon Anderson, and her three children are homeless, while her husband is on the run after burning their home in a fit of rage.
The entire structure was completely gutted, and the woman is asking for assistance to rebuild a modest house for herself and children. They currently have no place to rest their heads.
Meanwhile, another angry, drunken man returned home, soaked his house at Lot 52 Race Course Dam, Alness, Corentyne, Berbice with kerosene oil, and set it afire while his family of five was asleep, at about 22:20 hrs on Monday night.
Police ranks arrested the fisherman at the scene of the fire, after the two-storey house was destroyed despite the best efforts of the Guyana Fire Service.
That family lost all its worldly possessions.
Yonette Thomas, a mother of two, was displaced after a mysterious fire completely destroyed her house at D’urban Backlands, Georgetown on Monday. Fire erupted inside the building while Thomas was at work and the children were at a neighbour’s house.
The fire was spotted at about 13:30 hrs on Monday. The GFS, when summoned, was able to bring that fire under control, saving nearby buildings.
Thus far for 2011, there has been a 30 percent decrease in total fire calls. The number of persons affected by fires has decreased by 34 percent; and there has been a 10 percent decrease in the destruction of properties, 23 percent decrease in buildings severely damaged by fires, 16 percent reduction in deaths caused by fires, and 22 percent decrease in buildings slightly damaged by fires.
The GFS statistics also revealed that, for this year, fires completely destroyed 64 buildings, while 55 buildings were severely damaged, leaving 196 persons homeless.
In 2011, GFS recorded seven deaths as a result of fires; four persons were injured in separate fires, while 14 accidents occurred.
Two houses fell off their blocks, and there were 16 bomb scares, three fuel spillages, and three vessels sank.