A fire that was maliciously set on Monday evening claimed the lives of two persons at Silvertown, Linden while others escaped unscathed. The suspected arsonist has been arrested and is currently in police custody.
The fire which occurred at Lot 112 Second Street, Silvertown, claimed the lives of 52-year-old Sherri Moore, and her 12-year-old niece, Yokella Adams. It also completely gutted the house leaving seven homeless.
The Guyana Fire Service reported that due to radiated heat, two neighbouring houses were also damaged. An eastern wall on the top floor of one of the buildings was severely scorched, while the other building suffered minimal damage to some window panes.
Two jets working from a water carrier in conjunction with a light pump from the Linden Fire Station were used to extinguish the fire.
Keen Etienne who was an occupant of the house told Stabroek News that she retired to bed with her fiancé and they later heard a tumbling and loud noise and as a result they went outside to see what was happening. They observed the suspect removing his baskets and barrel along with some other belongings. The commotion stopped, and no signs of fire were seen. Her fiancé subsequently related that he was smelling kerosene, and rushed outside to confront the suspect, who stated that he didn’t want anyone to tell him anything and threatened to chop him.
According to Etienne, the floor became heated and her fiancé ran out and kicked open the door to the room the two victims were in as thick smoke began to billow through the upper flat. He then leapt over the veranda and they raised an alarm as another occupant ran towards her. She added that her fiancé told them to jump from the veranda as the fire was beginning to spread, which they subsequently did.
The woman explained that the house was a two-storey concrete building and the only exit was for them to use the inner stairway that is linked to the lower flat, where a door was located. According to her as they shouted for Adams and Moore, they heard no response.
“We didn’t hear anything, no scream nothing. We still questioning why he would do something like that, we don’t know what happened for him to do that”, she said.
Their bodies were discovered on the inner stairway. Neighbours had attempted to break into the house to rescue Adams and Moore but their efforts proved futile.
The fire reportedly started on the lower flat of the house. All the bedrooms were situated on the upper flat of the house while the living room and kitchen were on the lower flat.
As such, the fire service cautioned that arson is a serious offence and once perpetrators are caught, they will face the full brunt of the law. They outlined the following tips to help protect people and property against arson:
• report suspicious activity near houses or other buildings to the Guyana Fire Service or Guyana Police Force
• keep matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight of children
• if you know or suspect that an arson crime has been committed, contact the Guyana Fire Service or Guyana Police Force immediately.
• keep garbage, litter and other combustibles away from buildings.
• install outdoor lighting or cameras on your property.
• never leave burning garbage or grass unattended.
