Three houses in the same yard at Lot 110 ‘F’ North Sophia, Georgetown, were last evening gutted by fire after a man reportedly went berserk and lit a motorcycle ablaze, causing the flames to spread to the buildings. Another dwelling was damaged and seven persons are said to be homeless.
Fifty-nine-year-old Vaden Chester, who lived in the front house, told Kiskadee Watch he was resting when people in the street called out to him around 6 or 7 pm and told him that the bike was on fire.
According to him, the man believed to have started the blaze, identified only as Terry, is the nephew of his late wife. Terry reportedly lived in one of the houses in the yard and was subsequently arrested by police.
Recalling the ordeal, Chester said his neighbours encouraged him to move his car, which was parked in front of his house, so as to avoid further disaster in the event that the motorcycle exploded. He locked the house and came out to park the car further up the street, but by the time he got back, he said everything was in flames.
Chester, a driver, shared that he was unable to salvage any of his belongings and managed to save only his cellular phone and the car.
Shondell Gregory, who lives next door, said her house was also damaged by the flames.
“I went at the back to feed my chicken and when I come back, I see my neighbour motorbike on fire,” she told Kiskadee Watch, adding, “We start throwing water to out the fire, but it wasn’t helping.”
Gregory said Terry seems to be in his early 30s and apparently ‘tripped out’ when he decided to set the motorcycle on fire.
Her immediate concern, she said, was getting her son, who has a disability, to safety while trying to remove household items from the building.
In the midst of the chaos, several persons came to assist in taking belongings out of the house. However, she later discovered that a chain, earrings and money that had been inside were missing. Despite this, Gregory said she did not want to accuse anyone of theft, noting that many people had stepped in to help during the emergency.
In a statement last night, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said it was investigating the cause of a fire that completely destroyed three buildings and severely damaged one other. The fire occurred at Lot 10 North Sophia, Greater Georgetown.
Upon arrival at the scene, firefighters observed that one motorcycle was completely destroyed, one building was fully engulfed, and others were under threat.
“Firefighters responded promptly, carrying out firefighting, rescue, and recovery operations. Three water tenders were deployed and were used to extinguish the fire.
“Preliminary investigations were carried out on the cause of the fire, which was maliciously set by an unknown person(s). The origin of the fire was the motorcycle, which later spread to the other building”, the GFS said.
Discussion