A PETER’S Hall, East Bank of Demerara family of six is now homeless after their two-storey home was gutted by fire late Sunday night along with another building.
The second house, a two-storey building also, was not entirely destroyed.

According to reports, the fire started at the Lot 28 School Street, Peter’s Hall property, which was separated into several apartments shared by family members. Those affected included 79-year Lilowtie Persaud and her disabled 65-year old sister.
A resident, Lena Persaud, told Guyana Chronicle that she was taking her mom, Lilowtie, home around 20:00hrs when she noticed the house in flames.

“I just bring she, I went out on the road. When I come now and see the house on fire, meh nephew run in and meh sister been in, suh he pull she out, and meh auntie been on the step, so them try and bring she out. And I hear meh sister hollering and meh auntie hollering,” Lena recalled.

Aside from her mom and aunt, Lena lived at the property along with her sister, Omadai, and two nephews. The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was summoned; however, the flames had already engulfed the building and had spread to the house next door by the time the fire fighters arrived on the scene.
They did the best they could to stop the flames from entirely destroying the second property.

Lena said it did not take long for the wooden building to be entirely engulfed.
“I see the fire when I come in and quick time it spread,” Lena said.
Both Lena and Omadai attribute the source of the fire to a faulty meter on the south-western side of the house, which they said had seen “sparking” for a few days now.

“I sit down gaffing with me auntie and I hear something sparking, sparking and when I go, next thing I see the meter on fire. So I run inside to throw water. It started from the meter,” Omadai recalled
According to Lena, a report was made to the Guyana Power and Light a few days ago but the issue was never looked at.

“Meh nephew, bout two (to) three days (ago) call GPL, but nobody didn’t come,” Lena said.
Lena said she could not estimate the family’s losses but all of the separate apartments were entirely furnished. The family was left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

“It had everything from upstairs go right down. ‘Bout four fridge, 9 – 10 bed, everything, everything. Money, gold, everything destroyed. Is wah we got here that is it, that’s all we got left,” Lena related.

Lena said arrangements were being made for the occupants to stay with family members until they could figure out their future.

The partially destroyed Lot 29 School Street, Peter’s Hall property, which had an apartment on each flat, was rented by two separate families. No one was at that home at the time of the fire.