By Carl Croker
“I peep through de crease and see de whole downstairs red” was what a mother of four related after an early morning fire gutted their lot 11 Railway Line Street two story wooden building in Kitty just around 1:00hrs.
The Fire which ripped through three buildings at the corners of Sandy Babb Street and Railway Line Street in Kitty leaves scores homeless and millions in losses. A motor vehicle that was parked on the road was also burnt completely.
One of the victims of the tragic fire, Althea Solomon who was renting the upstairs of the Lot 11 building, where the fire presumably started, related to Inews that she was happy she was able to save herself along with her two children even though all of her material things went up in flames.
“All the children school clothes and other materials were destroyed in the fire” she said, while noting that she had to act fast since the fire was raging just beneath her and it was just a matter of time before the flooring gave way.
”Is the smoke we smell that was coming through the crease in the hole, duh wha we smell and we get up and when I peep through de crease de whole downstairs red. We couldn’t do nothing else we went right over the fire, I just get up in time fo save me and ma four children” related Solomon.
She alleged that the fire was started by a “well known drug addict named Kevin Larkish”- who was reportedly occupying the lower flat of the lot 11 building- after his mattress caught fire.
“Instead he pull out the mattress or call out for some body, he just left everything and run up de road and gan he way” said the distraught mother of four.
The owner of one of the other burnt out buildings at lot 10 railway Line Street in Kitty, Dr Rambaran said that the two story concrete and wood building was rented to two tenants. One was a nurse who was at work at the time and as such she did not get to save anything.
Dr Rambaran disclosed that she received a called just around 1:30 this morning informing her that the house was on fire. “Myself, my husband and my father came and saw that the whole place was in flames” she said.
She related that the owners of the burnt out car could not save it since they live in a back lot and were trapped in their homes as the heat extruding from the fire prevented them from coming out to move the vehicle.
Another tenant said his dog perished in the blaze since he did not have enough time to untie the animal after saving his two children who were asleep.
Fire fighters reportedly responded promptly, but they were unable to save any of the three buildings as they were severely restrained in their efforts due to the lack of adequate water to douse the flames.
Residents said that if the fire service had water, the third building which housed the Sundeen beer garden could have been saved.
The owner of the now gutted beer garden, which also housed her dwelling quarters noted that billions of dollars went up in flames for her.
According to the elderly woman, it was approximately 02:00hrs this morning when her children woke her up and she noticed that the building was already engulfed in flames.
When Inews arrived on the scene around 9:00hrs, firefighters were seen soaking the ashes as residents and passersby looked on. No individual was seriously harmed.
Efforts made to contact Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle, proved futile.
The Kitty fire was the second to hit the “A” Division in a matter of hours as just yesterday afternoon, an Agricola family of five lost their home to a fire suspected to be electrical in origin.
(Additional reporting by Ramona Luthi)
Guyana has to have the Army involved in the combating crimes before they even happen,with unannounced raids of thorough door to door inside out searches of areas and neighborhoods where these criminals are known to live or visits. Also they should be electrictuted as soon they are found guilty , these criminals value there own lives only and this is why they go out just to rob and kill innocent and hard working people of Guyana.