A FIRE of, yet, undetermined origin reduced to rubble a large dwelling house, the bottom flat of which was converted into a thriving furniture-store at Lot 38 Middle Street, Stewartville Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara last Sunday night, in the process displacing six persons and leaving millions of dollars in losses. Speaking from the sanctuary of a relative’s home, the now homeless Ms Sandy Agansen yesterday told the Guyana Chronicle that she and family members were all at home when, at about 20:00hrs, disaster struck in the rear of the lower flat of the two-storey building; and when they spotted the fire, it was too late to save anything, but they managed to exit the burning edifice without injury.

The business had been closed since Saturday, she added, and it does not operate on Sundays. She is certain that nothing had been left unattended in the furniture workshop, which accommodates heavy machinery used in the making of furniture.

Ms Agansen pointed out that the furniture business had been in operation for the past ten years, and it was most traumatic to see it being destroyed by fire. She also said that family members are, for the time being, staying at the home of a relative in the same village.

Her father, Ganesh Agansen, owner of the home and business, was in obvious distress yesterday as he briefly spoke to the Guyana Chronicle, stating that the business was uninsured.
He said that, so far, they are still awaiting a report from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) on the origin of the fire.

Yesterday, just the concrete walls of the massive concrete and wooden structure were left standing, the rest of the edifice had been reduced to rubble. Fortunately for the village, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) had been able to contain the fire to the one building that was destroyed.