FIRE, suspected to be electrical in origin, destroyed a two-storeyed wooden dwelling house yesterday morning, displacing 11 persons, at 145 Victoria and James Streets, Albouystown, Georgetown. One of the now homeless occupants, Karline Ashby, told the Guyana Chronicle it started in one of the bedrooms of the upper flat, at about 09:30 hrs when there was a power outage and the electricity was restored.
The woman lived in the lower flat of the building with her three children, a niece and a sibling, who is confined to a wheelchair. Another brother, his wife and two children, occupied the top flat.
Ashby said she was unable to save anything as the fire consumed the entire edifice and she had to exit quickly to escape injury.
She related that, prior to the blaze which reduced the premises to a pile of rubble, the transmission conductor from the utility pole was sparking and, soon after, she was alerted to the flames.
Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle told this newspaper that when the Guyana Fire Service was summoned, they responded with three tenders and a tanker from Central, West Ruimveldt and Alberttown Stations, also in the city.

He said, so far, the disaster seems to be a result of the poor use of electricity, with drop cords attached to several household appliances.
Gentle said investigations are ongoing.
He said the firefighters who were dispatched to the scene did an excellent job in containing the blaze.