THE Guyana Fire Service on Thursday extended condolences to the relatives and friends of Sammy Munian and Harmon Perreira, who perished by fire in separate incidents in a 24-hour period.

The first fire was reported at 16:01hrs on Wednesday and water tender #106 and crew from the Mahaica Fire Station responded to the Fairfield, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara location, a press release said.

The structure involved was a one-flat wooden building, which was owned and occupied by 75-year-old Sammy Munian.

“The incident was the result of a deliberate setting of fire to rubbish, which subsequently spread to the house that was in close proximity. By the time the fire was extinguished, the building and its contents were destroyed, and Munian’s remains were discovered,” the Fire Service said.

The following day, at 07:44hrs, the Fire Service was alerted to another fire at Lot 11 A, Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice.

Water tenders #86 and #74 from the Rose Hall and New Amsterdam fire stations were immediately dispatched to the scene, where a two-storey wooden and concrete building was engulfed in flames.

The building was owned by 64-year-old Harmon Perreira, and was occupied by himself and his family of six.

As a result of the fire, the building and its contents were destroyed, and Perreira lost his life.

According to the Fire Service, the fire was caused by the overheating of an AC conductor, which ignited nearby combustibles and spread to the entire building.

One jet from Light Pump #105, working from an open water source, along with one jet from WT#86 and two jets from WT#74 tank supplies, were used to extinguish the fire.