SEVEN individuals are homeless following a devastating fire that engulfed two residences in Bushlot, West Coast Berbice, on Thursday night.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Bibi Isahack, a 17-year-old resident, said that the fire started in an unoccupied neighbouring house, whose owners had been on vacation for about four weeks, before spreading to their property.

Isahack related that neighbours threw objects at their window, alerting her brother, who then woke her and told her to leave the house.

As she made her way out, Isahack noticed flames through the kitchen window, leading her to believe their house was on fire.

She told the tenants residing in their house downstairs to get out of the house. However, they soon realised that their home was not on fire.

It is alleged that the fire truck arrived 45 minutes after being contacted by a neighbour with an inadequate water supply, but by then, the fire had already reached Isahack’s back veranda.
“Them (the firefighters) stand up there and watch the fire. They had little bit water,” she said.

According to her, persons allegedly started to “literally beg” to have them use the trench water to out the fire.

“People start beg them, literally beg them to take water from the trench. So they say that they have to set up the pump so two body go in the trench and dig up the mud and so, and when them man done dig and so to find a way to put the pump, them (the firefighters) say them a get difficulty with the pump,” she alleged.

She said that because the fire truck allegedly had inadequate water, their house was entirely destroyed, along with the neighbouring house.

Isahack and her two brothers and grandmother lived upstairs of the house while they rented the downstairs to three others.

Persons willing to assist the family can contact them at 681-9017.