SOCIAL Protection Minister Amna Ally on Thursday donated much-needed items to 24 persons who were displaced by the fire that gutted three buildings and damaged another at Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown early Wednesday morning.

The minister in brief remarks said the exercise is in keeping with government’s thrust to care for those affected by the blaze.
Some of the items presented to the victims include mattresses, kitchen utensils and cash to get them back on their feet again.

On Wednesday, the minister, accompanied by other government officials, visited the fire scene and made a donation of clothing to the victims, some of whom were left only with the ‘clothes on their backs’.
One of the fire victims, Clive Brown thanked the government for the support and said he is pleased with the donation. His family received two beds and some cash, among other things.

A total of seven families lost all their material possessions in an early morning fire on Wednesday at Pike Street, Kitty.
That day, the minister handed over some clothing to the families. One of the victims, 69-year-old Janette Browne said she is now lodging with a neighbour and all that she has left are ‘the clothes on her back’.

The fire reportedly started in the lower flat of one of the wooden houses and by the time the firemen arrived, the building was engulfed in flames which had spread to another building.
It is unclear what triggered the early morning blaze but a probe initiated by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is underway to determine the cause.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes also visited the scene of the fire and provided comfort to the residents.
Minister Broomes invited some of the victims–a single mother and her children–to her home, where she prepared breakfast for them.