Fire, believed to have been deliberately set after a domestic row, destroyed a two-storey building at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara yesterday afternoon.

The owner of the home located at Lot 272 Golden Grove is in police custody while his wife is hospitalized with a reported shoulder injury. It is suspected that the house was set afire following a quarrel. A small shop the couple operated in front of the building was relatively unscathed.

The incident occurred around 5:30 pm yesterday and neighbours said that shortly before, the couple had a quarrel which resulted in the man’s wife, Bibi Alli fleeing the home with their little son. The enraged man reportedly ran after her but she managed to run to a car that was passing and entered it and was driven away.

A neighbour, Devi Singh said that shortly after Alli fled the home the man returned inside and she heard a noise as if something had fallen and she then observed smoke emanating from a bedroom in the upper flat. She said that an alarm was raised and the man went to the door and asked the neighbours “what happen?”

She said that as the blaze grew, they concentrated on preventing her house from catching afire.

The police and fire service were called and responded but by that time the building was destroyed.

The police took the man into custody. Neighbours said that on Boxing Day the family had called the police after another row and the man was locked up and released the next day.

Singh said that the family had resided there for three years.