Residents of Manatee Place, South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown, Tuesday formed a bucket brigade after they observed thick smoke emanating from the lower flat of a dwelling house and were successful in dousing the flames until the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) fire tender arrived on the scene. Chief Fire Officer, Marlon Gentle, told the Guyana Chronicle that the GFS received a fire call from Police Operations at about 12:55 hrs to which they responded, and when they arrived at the scene they further extinguished the embers in a bedroom, in the bottom flat, of a two-storey house occupied by two sets of tenants.
He added that in the room a bed, a mattress, a barrel of clothes and other flammable material were all destroyed ; the walls of the bedroom were scorched as well, and several children were at home alone and unsupervised.
Gentle said that the fire started in the bottom flat where the children were playing with matches while their parents were not at home, and the bottom flat is occupied by Mondale Scipio and his family of six.
He noted that the building at Lot 2673 Manatee Place, South Ruimveldt Park was saved with minor damages as a result of quick response by residents, but appealed to adults not leave children alone and unsupervised since it often results in fires, leaving many homeless.
Last week a mysterious fire destroyed a dwelling house at Lot 24 John Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, leaving seven persons homeless.