A FIRE of unknown origin just around mid-morning yesterday gutted a home at Lot 638 Hibiscus Street, West Ruimveldt, leaving seven persons, including two children and a teacher, homeless.The Guyana Chronicle was told that the fire started around 11.16hrs and was first noticed by neighbours who raised an alarm.

One woman Simone Charles explained that she was inside her home with a friend, when another friend who was visiting at the time stepped outside. She said that the friend then called her to say that smoke was coming from the house which is located one lot away from her.
According to Charles, when she went outside she noticed thick smoke and soon after, she saw two of the adult siblings who reside at the house running out of the building. Immediately after that, fire was seen.
According to the young woman, the fire quickly spread through the building even as persons summoned the fire service which responded promptly with tenders from the Central Fire Station and West Ruimveldt Fire Station.
Yesterday the affected persons were too shaken to speak with the media on the cause of the fire. However, one elderly woman who lives not far away also stated that she saw the smoke emanating from the building. The woman who is familiar with the interior of the building explained that she could not say where exactly the fire might have started, but from all indications most of the activity seemed to have been happening in the bedroom located to the south of the home.

The eastern wall of the building had collapsed which appeared to show that the fire was mostly concentrated on that side of the building.
The occupants of the home were observed crying and consoling each other as they lamented that they had lost everything , including source documents, passports and other personal belongings.
The fire attracted a huge crowd of spectators who gathered helplessly as they watched the house burn, even as firefighters did their best to bring the fire under control and prevent it from catching to at least one other building which is located nearby.

Up to late yesterday, the Guyana Fire Service investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

By Leroy Smith