When the Industry home of Gangapersaud Bachan and Inderai Bahadur was razed on Sunday, it was only the most recent in a continuing spate of fires, believed to be electrical in origin.
Within the past year alone there have been reports of several fires which were suspected of being electrical in origin. Losses usually account to millions of dollars and on a few occasions persons have lost their lives.
Stabroek News attempted to obtain a comment from the power company yesterday, but was told that the relevant persons were unavailable.
On Sunday, the Lot 5 First Street, Industry, East Coast Demerara home, where Bachan and Bahadur lived with their two children, was destroyed. According to Industry residents, the community had experienced two power outages prior to the fire. They said the second power outage, which started at approximately 1pm, lasted for over three hours. A few persons who live close to the scene of the fire recalled seeing sparks on the electrical pole in front of the destroyed house, minutes after power was restored to the area. This was followed by the sight of smoke emanating from the upper flat of the two-storey building.
According to Bahadur, she first saw sparks on the electricity pole in front of her home. She said neighbours then noticed flames on the upper flat of her home. According to residents in the area, there have been many instances of fluctuation of electricity in their community.
Lallita Bachan, Gangapersaud’s sister said the power lines in First and Second streets, Industry have been sparking for weeks now. She said whenever this occurs the power company would be promptly informed. She related that shortly after officials of the power company appear to remedy the problem, the community would continue to experience power surges. Persons in the area related that Sunday’s fire did not take them by surprise since they have often heard about power outages preceding a fire. They said the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) should conduct maintenance of the electrical grid especially to areas which have been constantly affected by power surges and low voltage.
On April 1, 2008, a fire suspected to be electrical in origin destroyed a two-bedroom house at Bushy Park, Mahaicony. In the fire, ten-year-old Arianna Fraser remembered her sleeping three-year-old sister, Ghia, in the nick of time as she alerted the maid who saved her from the fire. The family’s two-flat, two-bedroom house was completely razed. Eyewitnesses recalled that there was a power outage in the area and soon after power was restored they saw electrical wires which were connected to the house sparking, before flames erupted.
On July 20, 2008, fire destroyed a Hill Street, Albouystown home, leaving eight persons homeless. The occupants of the house had said that on numerous occasions they had reported and even visited the offices of GPL to report a sparking wire .They said that the problem was never fixed.
On November 13, 2008, another fire suspected of being electrical in origin destroyed a two-storey house at Martyr’s Ville, Mon Repos, leaving four persons homeless. Eyewitnesses to that fire recalled noticing the GPL connection to the house sparking a few minutes before the fire.
Then on December, 22, 2008, a family of five was left homeless after their Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara home was completely ravaged by fire. The family was at church when fire the started but they said that persons recalled seeing a wire sparking prior to the fire. At the time the family related that the area had been experiencing low voltage for some time.
In January this year, a New Amsterdam funeral parlour owner, his wife and their two grandchildren lost their lives in a fire which was suspected of being electrical in origin. It was believed that Krishna ‘Ivor’ Persaud, 63; his wife Parbattie Persaud, 60; and their two grandchildren, nine-year-old Melissa and six-year-old Armand were asleep at the time with the air conditioning unit on when the early morning fire started.
On March 5, this year, a mid-afternoon fire at Barr Street Kitty, destroyed a two-bedroom house. The fire was suspected of being electrical in origin and proprietor of the house Mala Moonsammy recalled that the house had an ongoing electrical problem affecting power to the house involving a sparking wire. She said that the problem was reported to the power company prior to the fire.
GPL should be responsible for these people homes and also the one that lost there lives in these type of electrial fire every one is at risk here it dose not matter rich or poor
I think the Government Electrical Engineering should be held responsible. Power surges can only cause cables to burn if there is insufficient or no earthing.As an electrician I observe a lot of installations with faulty or no earthing at all. A lot wiring is done haphazzard, wires wrapped together and taped and deemed to be properly insulated, this is not so. All wires should be joined,only if necessary, with a proper rated wire connector.At all joints in a cable is the point of the most resistance and gets hot and if losely connected will burn out and cause a fire which is the most common cause of an electrical fire. Most electricians don’t even know the rating of the connectors hence just use the cheapest which is the smallest that can hold the cable and not checking the rating to see if it can withstand the amount of amps the cable is rated for.Hence my conclusion that the GEE IS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE for the inspection of electrical installations to approve them for use. I am convinced that not all these buildings are wired to none of the accepted standards, NEC Code or The British Standard, which are the two accepted code throughout Europe and the Western Hemisphere.There is also the need to educate people in the proper use of electricity. People still overload outlets which becomes a fire waiting to happen in case of a power surge.I see here in Barbados the Light & Power spends money on ads advising on the proper use of electricity also the GEED is very strict on electrical installations and will fail a whole installation for one loose wire. Some people will say this is foolish. I say why risk a million dollar house for a weeks delay.
…cb, you are spot on … many local ‘electricians’ don’t know the difference between neutral and live and switch the two when making connections …
ENOUGH ALREADY .. WHEN IS THIS GOING TO STOP .. SUCH LUNACY AND INCOMPETENCE ON THE GOVERNMENT AND GPL’s PARTS .. PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SUE GPL WHEN THESE TRAGEDIES OCCUR .. BUT THEN AGAIN NOTHING WILL COME OF THE LAWSUIT SINCE IN GUYANA ‘WAH COME SUH DO’ IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY ..
The GEI needs to be given more resources to effectively examine and certify installations and also re-examine electrical contractors. A sensible increase in inspection fees will help.
Many home owners are being duped by contractors with sloppy work and there are cases where the home owners themselves insist on having the work done a certain way to cut cost not realising the consequences.
Then there is the major problem of extremely poor quality electrical materials on the market. GNBS should take note.
all who were affected by these electrical fires should come together as one body and seek justice from a legal perspective against the gpl, the skullduggery must end and the gpl held accountable.
Tiger, taking GPL to court here is a waste of time.
Someone should have the nerve to take them to Caribbean Court Of Justice.
Any writ filed against GPL here for compensation from fire because electrical malfunction is trown out. It does not even reach DPP much less court hearing.
On the other hand ppl should start tinking and have fire and flood insurance to their properties. At least they would be given some monies from the Insurance Company after their investigation. GPL takes no blame for fire of electrical origin which cause destruction of homes.
This is threefold.GPL is guilty of shoddy electrical installation,there is also uncertified electrical installations done in homes, and electrical inspectors are not doing their jobs.Bribed to turn the other way.