Fire destroys home of senior GRA official
THREE persons, including a senior officer of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), are now homeless after fire of unknown origin destroyed their Lot L27-1021 Latchmansingh Street, Tucville home yesterday afternoon. Shaquille Monroe, 16, son of owner of the home — Deputy Commissioner of the GRA, Simone Beckles — said he occupied the home with another relative and his mother, but he was home alone at the time the fire started. He explained that he was awoken from slumber by smoke that filled the house, and he immediately vacated the premises to inform neighbours that the house was on fire. By the time he reached over at the neighbours, the entire upper flat of the house had become engulfed.
Shaquille added that the only appliances receiving electricity at the time were a fridge and an electrical fan which he was using in his room.
He explained that from what he had witnessed, the fire started in the front room of the house, which was occupied by his mother, Simone. The lad also explained that his mother’s room was equipped with a television, fan, and air conditioning unit which had not yet been fully assembled and installed, but at the time the fire started, nothing in his mother’s room had been plugged in.
Shaquille also told the media that when he rushed out of the house, he telephoned the Guyana Fire Service, and they took some twenty minutes to reach the scene. He said that he could not remember the exact time he had noticed the house was on fire.
When this newspaper arrived on the scene, two fire tenders were already there, but failed to go into operation because of the absence of water. The men had the devil’s own job starting a pump, which eventually began pumping water ten minutes after the arrival of this publication on the scene. By then, most of the two-storey residence had already been engulfed by raging fire.
Moreover, there was also a fire hydrant just across the road from the house, but that was not accessed by the firemen. Residents in the area said that at one time water flowed from the hydrant, but some time ago, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) disconnected the water supply to the facility.
Yesterday, efforts to get a comment from GWI on the residents’ claim proved futile.
When home owner Simone Beckles arrived on the scene, she was more interested in ensuring that her son, whom she had left at home, was safe. After seeing her son, the two embraced each other while bursting into tears. Ms. Beckles was overheard commenting that the fire had taken everything she had worked for all her life.
Also at the scene were several staffers of the Guyana Revenue Authority, who rushed down to the scene to offer their support, and provide comfort to one of their superiors.
A large number of the residents from Tucville and its surroundings gathered to witness the blaze and the struggle of the firemen to get water. Despite difficulty in getting adequate water, the firemen were commended for saving the nearby houses.
Many of those who had gathered were also overheard commenting that the house was one of the most attractive in the area, since it was always well painted and had a presentable exterior. The building was also said to be of an impressive ancient architecture. Ms. Beckles was crowned the winner of the Ms. Renaissance pageant a few years ago.