As the dry season continues to take its toll locally, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has been facing the full brunt as bush fires have been prevailing as often as 18 times daily over the past three months.
In this regard, the Fire Prevention Officer, Andrew Holder told INews that these fires are not always attributed to the hot weather and persons caught mischievously lighting such fires will be arrested.
In an almost disappointed tone, the Fire Prevention Officer said, “We are cognisant of the fact that we are experiencing currently a prolonged dry weather spell, however, not all of these bush fires can be attributed to the hot weather conditions. More often than that our investigations has pointed to citizens of themselves lighting these fires for the purpose of land clearing and getting rid of their garbage and so on”.
Further, he said, “Right now as it is, the situation is so bad that we don’t even want to give anybody conditionality under which it is okay to light these fires. It is a prohibition, a complete no no and perpetrators will find themselves before the court…we are experiencing an unusual dry weather spell and as such, lighting fires in open spaces has severe consequences. Consequently, we are imploring citizens to desist forthwith from lighting fires in open spaces”.
According to him, the Fire Service has already had to investigate the instances of grass fires in the Coldingen/Non-Pariel, East Coast Demerara area as persons there were found to be in the habit of deliberately lighting dry vegetation afire.
In fact, Holder said that the GFS has had to rush to that very area sometimes as much as three times per day, even at nights.
