CARPENTER Clive Riddle and his food vendor wife Abigail are devastated after a fire of unknown origin gutted their recently renovated two-storey home at Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice on Sunday.The cause of the fire is as yet unknown, but the Guyana Fire Service has commenced intense investigations.

The Riddles were not at home at the time of the blaze. Clive Riddle related that he had left home at about 09:45 hrs to run some errands, and received a call from a neighbour about 15 minutes later, informing that his house was on fire. He said he hurried back home and found the upper flat of the building in flames. He did not get to save any item in the house.

Quizzed on what may have caused the fire, he said only the refrigerator was on.

According to a neighbour, Esther Jonas, she had heard shouts of “Fire!” and had run out to see what was happening. “I hear ‘Fire! Fire!’ So I run out fuh see what happening. When I look, all I seeing is smoke coming from the back of Clive them house, so everybody start a bucket brigade to try out the fire.”

Riddle related that two fire tenders responded 45 minutes after the fire, but they were unable to save the building, as only one of the tenders had water, while the other took a while before it became operable.

He was of the view that if both tenders had water, they might have been able to save the lower flat of the house.

“Two fire trucks come like 45 minutes after I come, and only one had water. They fuh try to out the fire, but the one alone could not do it; the other one, by the time they set up hose and suh, is about half an hour done, and the second flat start fuh burn. I had 45 gallons of paint plus all me tools and some materials in the bottom flat; all burn up,” the devastated man related.

His wife Abigail related that the house was built from savings she and her husband had managed to acquire.

They are now at a loss, and have not quite decided what their next move is going to be, but they said they have faith and “God knows best”.