—393 fires recorded so far this year
Seventy-one unoccupied houses have been affected by fires determined to have been deliberately set in Regions Five and Six, according to the Guyana Fire Service, which is also warning residents against burning rubbish and dry vegetation.
Divisional Officer Clive Mc Donald said B Division recorded 393 fires between January and October 2026, compared with 371 during the corresponding period last year, an increase of 22 incidents.
According to a Fire Service release, Mc Donald said the fires involving unoccupied houses were maliciously set by unidentified persons. These matters have been referred to the police for further investigation.
The release did not provide a breakdown of the locations of the 71 houses or indicate whether anyone had been arrested in connection with those fires.
Mc Donald also identified grass fires as a persistent challenge across the two regions, where extensive areas of dry vegetation can allow flames to spread rapidly and threaten neighbouring properties.
He said many incidents resulted from human activity, including rubbish burning, unattended fires and the use of fire to clear land.
“I am calling on citizens of the division to desist from setting fires,” he said.
Among the areas identified as frequently affected were Belladrum, No. 11 Village, Rising Sun, Onderneeming, Profit, Canje/Palmyra, Budhan Scheme, Chesney/Gibraltar, Bloomfield, Hampshire, Brighton/Alness, Nos. 47–48 Villages, Nos. 50–61 Villages and Line Path, Corentyne.
Previous fires reported by Kiskadee Watch illustrate both concerns raised by the division.
On July 7, this publication reported that separate fires had destroyed homes at Hampshire, Corentyne, and Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice.
At King Street, Hampshire, firefighters from the Rose Hall Fire Station found a two-storey wooden house engulfed in flames. The building and its contents were destroyed, although firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby properties. Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was suspected to have been maliciously set.
The preceding day, a fire destroyed a single-storey wooden and concrete house occupied by two persons at Water Street, Bath Settlement. Preliminary findings suggested that flames from rubbish being burned by the occupants had spread to the house.
In its latest appeal, the Fire Service urged homeowners who are travelling or leaving properties vacant to arrange regular checks by a trusted person.
Residents near abandoned or unoccupied buildings were encouraged to remain vigilant, report suspicious activity and promptly alert the authorities to fires.
Mc Donald said firefighters remained on high alert, while appealing for residents’ cooperation in preventing fires and protecting life and property.
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