2 houses destroyed as fire erupts at Eccles Old Road

– millions in losses, several homeless

A fire of unknown origin on Friday ripped through two houses at Eccles on the East Bank Demerara (EBD), leaving millions in damage and several homeless.
The blaze reportedly started at about 10:30h at Lot 76 Eccles Old Road, EBD, and quickly spread to the house at Lot 75, thus reducing both structures to ashes. One of the houses was occupied by Kelvin McDonald, his reputed wife, Kimberly Yarde, a primary school teacher, and their three children.
Decked in his boxers and a white vest, McDonald, who works with a security firm, explained that earlier in the morning, he had returned from work and saw his reputed wife and children off to school.

“After they left, I washed and after washing, the blackout came and I hung out my clothes, locked up both doors, and went into the front room to take a nap. While relaxing, I started to smell smoke. When I looked up, I saw the light on, so I figured the current came on,” McDonald stated with tears settled in his eyes.
“Upon entering the room that has the breaker and everything else, I saw this small blaze and I started asking for assistance and called the Fire Service. I tried the pipe, but no water was coming there. The neighbour helped me with a hose and we were trying, but as it caught on to the sponge, it started blazing.”
He further explained that the house has been experiencing electrical issues since he moved in. He noted that he couldn’t save anything from the burning building.
However, eyewitnesses who gathered at the scene stated that the fire engines took about 45 minutes to arrive at the scene. The closest fire station is at Republic Park, EBD. During that time, residents formed a bucket brigade with the aim of putting out the fire but this proved futile due to the intensity of the heat.
Another resident added that when the fire tenders arrived, they ran out of water and were forced to tap into a water source. He added that if the fire tenders had come prepared, the second building could have been saved.
The village, Guyana Times understands, is equipped with one fire hydrant. With the assistance of the strong winds, the fire had its way. Within minutes, the first building was destroyed.
“…I work at Lot 77 and where there is business, so I see my sister run out of the shop with all the other workers and I see fire at the next door neighbour”, a woman stated.
“There is across the street from where the first house was burnt… as soon as we see the fire, we called the Fire Service… these people took long to come…when they came, we asked them to soak our house because the shot had gas from front to back and if out the house had caught afire, it would have been a catastrophe… they did not pay us no mind. The fire ended up destroying the side of our house,” she said.
The exact number of individuals residing in the second home, which reportedly housed a restaurant on the lower flat, remains unclear.
An investigation into the incident has been initiated to determine the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damages incurred. The affected residents are now left to make alternative living arrangements and face the horrendous task of rebuilding.