A lone male was seen breaking the windows of the Guyana Human Rights Centre (GHRC) on Hadfield St and Austin Place during the wee hours of Sunday shortly before fire was seen coming from the building.
Stabroek News yesterday visited the scene and spoke with a resident who said he was awakened by the sound of glass breaking around 3 am on Sunday.
Upon peeping through his window, the resident, who wish to remain anonymous said that he saw a male who then escaped on foot.
“I was sleeping and I heard like breaking of glass so I jump up because I wanted to know what going on. I run towards my bedroom window. I look outside and I see somebody breaking the window, like hitting the glass at the side deh (in GHRC compound),” the resident said.
“So I shout, I say ‘aye! Wah you doing deh bai?’ the person look up, lash the window one more time, run around the side. So I heard somebody shout and say ‘aye! Watch duh man light fire pun duh building’ and I run downstairs to help,” he added.
Upon reaching the entrance of the building, the resident noted that other persons were already in the process of putting out the fire. “I run at the front and the whole door was on fire. It had like about three other men trying fah like out the fire, so we help out the fire,” he said.
According to the resident, it appeared as though the suspect was alone.
The Guyana Human Rights Association in a statement on Sunday even-ing said that the building suffered “significant physical damage” early Sunday morning.
Thirteen windows were smashed and the front door badly burnt before public-spirited neighbours were able to extinguish the fire.
“Neighbours were awoken by the sound of broken glass. Their shouts were sufficient for the perpetrator(s) to flee. Later, neighbours were again alerted by security guards at nearby buildings that a fire was in progress at the front door. They organized a bucket-brigade to staunch the fire which left the front door badly burnt. A tyre had been set alight to burn the front door”.
The police are yet to apprehend the alleged arsonist/s.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle on Monday told Stabroek News that tyres are being used to launch arson attacks as in the most recent case with the GHRC.
Gentle had said that investigations revealed that the fire started on Sunday morning after a tyre was thrown into the building. “For no reason or anything,” he said.
Just two weeks ago, an attempt to set fire to the Umana Yana was foiled after an alert security guard raised an alarm scaring off a man.
Gentle further stated that investigations also confirmed that a tyre was used to commit this act.
In recent weeks, there has been an increase in arson attacks on public buildings. Among those were the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) office in Linden, an unoccupied Army Base of the Second Infantry Battalion, Maria’s Lodge, Essequibo and the Criminal Investi-gation Department (CID) office at Anna Regina, Essequibo.
Last Wednesday, an excavator operator Keon Davis was charged with setting fire to the two Essequibo Coast buildings.
