A 73-year-old rice farmer is left counting his losses after his Essequibo Coast home of several years met with a disastrous fire on Thursday morning resulting in the loss of the entire upper flat.
Based on police information, the fire occurred at Lot 2 Windsor Castle, Essequibo Coast at about 09:00hrs today (Thursday).
The owner of the house, Harry Nanan Parmanan told investigators that he had left home at around 07:00hrs with his son, to visit the Suddie Public Hospital.
He said that shortly after, his teenaged grandson returned to the two storey wooden and concrete structure, and observed smoke emanating from the upper flat of the house.
The 15-year-old reportedly began to raise an alarm, and his mother and other siblings who were present in the lower flat of the house managed to flee the building.
Neighbours in the area attempted to carry out a bucket brigade as they awaited the arrival of the fire fighters. However, this proved futile as the blaze was too intense.
As such, when the fire service responded to the scene, they only managed to save the lower flat of the home from a fiery destruction.
A number of important documents and an undisclosed sum of valuables were lost as a result of the blaze.
Police have not yet ascertained the exact cause of the fire.
An investigation has been launched.
