By Leroy Smith
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Eight persons are now homeless following a fire which is thus far undetermined and which has destroyed a two flat concrete building at lot 35 Vryheid’s Lust Public Road East Coast Demerara.
Among the homeless is advisor to the Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and former Head of the National Toshaos’ Council Yvonne Pearson.
Speaking with iNews on the scene on Wednesday November 20, Pearson said that she was at work when she got the call and rushed home to find all her life’s saving gone as well as her personal documents such as birth, married and other certificates and some amount of jewelry.
The woman said that she lived in the upper flat of the two storey building with her son for the past year.
Meanwhile, the occupant of the lower flat informed this news agency that he was not at home when the fire started but was tending to a roadside stall he operates a short distance from the house.
He gave his name as Glen Baptiste and said that he was first alerted about the fire when someone told him that smoke was coming from the house. The man said that he rushed home and attempted to save items but only managed to save his chair set and a few pieces of clothes.
Asked about the losses as a result of the fire, both Pearson and Baptiste could not give an immediate estimation.
Persons who were at the scene when the fire service arrived stated that the firefighters showed up twenty minutes after the blaze was reported and they came with less than a tank of water and was forced to use water from a nearby trench five minutes after getting into fire fighting gear.
The house was being rented to the two families by the Board of Directors of the Ephraim Scott Memorial Presbyterian Church which is also located in the compound.
