Two homes were destroyed in separate fires in Berbice over the past two days, with the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) suspecting that one of the blazes was deliberately set while the other may have been caused by rubbish being burned by the occupants.
In the latest incident, firefighters responded on Monday to a report of a house fire at King Street, Hampshire village, Corentyne, where a two-storey wooden house was found fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters from the Rose Hall Fire Station immediately began firefighting operations and successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby properties. However, the building and all of its contents were destroyed.
According to preliminary investigations by the Fire Service, the fire is suspected to have been maliciously set by person or persons unknown. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
The suspected arson came one day after another house fire destroyed a home at Water Street, Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice.
Firefighters responding to that incident found a one-storey wooden and concrete house, occupied by two persons, completely engulfed in flames. Despite their efforts to contain and extinguish the blaze, the building and all of its contents were destroyed.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire may have originated from rubbish being burned by the occupants. The Fire Service said the flames reportedly spread from the rubbish pile to the house, resulting in the destruction of the property.
The Fire Service has urged members of the public to exercise extreme caution when burning rubbish, advising that fires should always be properly supervised and kept a safe distance away from buildings and other combustible materials.
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