Candle caused Bartica fire; woman, 81, dies

The late night fire that ravaged a house in Bartica, Region Seven, reportedly started after an unattended lit candle fell onto flammable materials, the Guyana Fire Service has reported.

The News Room had reported that an elderly occupant of the house was burnt to death. She has been identified as 81-year-old Iris Baron. Her house, a one storey wooden and concrete building, was completely destroyed.

The Guyana Fire Service related that the fire was reported at 22:23 hrs on Friday and a water tender and crew from the Bartica Fire station responded to the at Lot 203 Mongrippa Hill, Bartica.

Meanwhile, the fire also caused damages to a nearby two-storey wooden and concrete building. The top floor of that building was occupied by a family of four while the bottom flat was occupied by a family of five.