More than a dozen people lost their homes after a fire, suspected to have been deliberately set, ripped through three buildings, including a beer garden, located at Sandy Babb and Railway streets, Kitty, Georgetown early yesterday morning.
The fire started around 1 am at Lot 11 Sandy Babb Street and quickly spread to Lot 10 and Lot 12 on either side. Residents said that although the firefighters arrived promptly on the scene, they were unable to contain the blaze due to inadequate water. There are no fire hydrants in the area.
Fire Prevention Officer Andrew Holder told Stabroek News that investigators have thus far managed to obtain eyewitness accounts, which revealed that the fire was deliberately set. The suspected arsonist, he said, managed to escape and was yet to be apprehended.
According to reports gathered by this newspaper, the suspect and his brother, who together occupied an apartment in the lower flat of Lot 11, had an altercation during which the suspect allegedly threatened to kill his brother and burn the house down. He allegedly set a mattress on fire and ran away.
The houses in the area are located close to each other but firefighters were successful in stopping the blaze from spreading to other nearby buildings.
However, a car belonging to a resident, whose name was given as Paul Chow, was destroyed. Two firefighters also sustained minor injuries during their efforts to contain the blaze.
Businessman Deneshwar Ramprashad, whose mother, popularly known as “Aunty Lynette,” owns and operates the Sundeen Beer Garden, told Stabroek News that at the time of the fire he and his mother were at home alone.
The building housed their living quarters in the upper flat. He explained that he was in his bedroom when he was awakened by intense heat. He looked out the window and saw the bottom flat of Lot 11 in flames. “Right away after I see that, I hustle to grabble my mother and bring her downstairs,” Ramprashad said.
He also drove his car out of the garage and then attempted to re-enter the house to save other items but could not do so due to the heavy smoke. He was grateful that his wife and eight-month-old child were not at home.
The businessman, when asked, could not estimate his losses, but stated that they had only recently completed some renovations in the kitchen and bathroom areas. That alone cost $3.5 million.
Earlier this week, he said, he took some $1.6 million in stocks from Banks DIH to be sold. “Wow. That’s a lot we are talking about there, cigarettes by the carton and liquor by the case were packed up,” he said. The business has been in existence since 1970s.
When this newspaper visited the scene, some of the victims who were present were being consoled by relatives and friends. Scores of persons had still gathered and stared in disbelief as they talked about the aftermath of the fire.
Workers from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) were seen preparing to replace a broken electrical pole, while investigators from the Guyana Fire Service were carrying out investigations. Ranks from the Guyana Police Force were also present.
The house where the fire started was rented to several people. Althea Solomon and her children occupied the upper flat, while the bottom flat was separated into two apartments. Newspaper vendor Desiree Primo lived in one, while the suspect and his brother shared the other, which was reportedly frequented by alcoholics and drug addicts.
Solomon was grateful that she and her children are still alive despite losing everything.
Primo said she too was asleep when she heard loud screams of persons shouting ‘fire!’ repeatedly.
“I feel the heat and I ran out the house half dressed,” she said, while thanking residents for providing her with clothing.
The other building which was owned by Dr Rambarran (only name given) was rented to seafood exporter, Navin Sarwan, his wife, Faudia Sarwan, who is a nurse attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Heart Institute, and their two sons, 11 years and four years old.
Sarwan related to his newspaper that he and his children were asleep also and they were awakened by the smell of smoke. He said he immediately grabbed his children, placed them in the car and drove a safe distance away. He, too, was unable to save any valuables.
He said that Chow, who lived in the house behind him, was alerted and attempted to save his car which is normally parked in front of his house but he was unable to do anything because of the heat.
A resident, who lives opposite, recalled hearing a loud sound and looking out his window to see the fire blazing in the bottom flat of Lot 11.
Another woman said that after her son informed her about the fire, she was scared that it would have spread to her home, which is behind Sundeen Beer Garden and she quickly grabbed some belongings and headed out.
This huge fire was the fourth for the week. On Tuesday, a fire destroyed an apartment building at Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, leaving four persons without a home. Another fire on the same day also destroyed a Craig, East Bank Demerara house. The third fire occurred on Thursday in Agricola.
