A fire, suspected to be electrical in origin, destroyed a Triumph, East Coast Demerara house yesterday morning, leaving a police officer and his family counting millions of dollars in losses.
The two-storey wooden house, which was located at Lot 4 Railway Street, Triumph, went up in flames around 7.30am yesterday.
The house is owned and occupied by Assistant Superintendent of Police Ramesh Singh, who is stationed at the Leonora Police Station, his wife, Zabida Jaikarran, their two sons, their daughter-in-law and a teenaged grandson.
Stabroek News was told that the fire started shortly after electrical wiring, located on the eastern side of the house, started sparking.
The house was quickly engulfed. Nothing was saved. Among items that were destroyed were a quantity of cash, jewellery and documents such as passports, identification cards and driver licences.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene yesterday, Singh and his wife ware being comforted by neighbours, while the other family members were being assisted by villagers to clear the debris.
A visibly-emotional Singh explained that he and his family were in the house when he heard a “cracking sound.” “I hear the sound but didn’t know what it was until neighbours come and call for us and say that the house is on fire,” Singh recounted.4
After being alerted, he said they quickly ran out of the house and formed a bucket brigade in an effort to extinguish the fire.
The Guyana Fire Service was alerted but before firefighters arrived the house was already destroyed. Singh and villagers also lamented that when the fire truck did arrive at the scene, it was without water.
While the family was yet to decide on what would be done next, the homes of relatives and friends will be serving as temporary shelter.
Anyone willing to render any form of assistance to the family can contact Singh on telephone number 658-0291.
