Suspected electrical fire destroys North Sophia home

A fire on Friday afternoon, suspected to be electrical in origin, gutted a North Sophia home, leaving four persons counting millions of dollars in losses.

The two-storey, five-bedroom house at Lot 5 North Sophia, Georgetown, was owned by Carol Beckles, but occupied by her two nephews and two other relatives.

Stabroek News understands that the fire started around 6 pm in a bottom-flat bedroom and quickly engulfed the entire house. At the time, no one was home.

Gloria Beckles, sister of the owner, who lives behind the burnt premises told this newspaper that she was watching television when an alarm was raised by her neighbours that smoke was coming from the bottom-flat bedroom.

She said she immediately ran out and was assisted by neighbours in forming a bucket brigade. However, there was a high wind and the fire spread through the entire house in a matter of minutes. Nothing was saved, she said, while noting that the house was furnished with all modern amenities.

The remains of the house after the fire
The remains of the house after the fire
A section of the destroyed  bottom-flat of the house
A section of the destroyed bottom-flat of the house

The fire service was alerted and arrived promptly. However, residents expressed their dissatisfaction that when the first fire tender arrived it was not equipped with water which resulted in a delay since they had to source same from a nearby canal.

One neighbour related that she and her husband were cleaning their yard when they saw the smoke. “I call for she and say, ‘Gloria, Gloria, fire’ and she started to scream,” the woman related. She said she also contacted Carol Beckles who was at work at the time, but before she arrived, the house was already destroyed.

The woman commended the efforts made by the residents to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby properties.

The victims of the fire complained of frequent power outages. They are currently seeking shelter at various relatives’ residences, but said the public’s assistance is welcome.

Anyone willing to assist them can use contact telephone numbers 629-5413 or 222-4934.