A 59-year-old Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) employee is now homeless after a fire, caused by a kerosene stove, gutted his North Ruimvedlt, Georgetown house on Friday morning.
The News Room understands that the fire started at around 08:50hrs and destroyed the two-bedroom wooden house situated at Lot 3791 Viva Street , North Ruimvedlt, Georgetown within minutes.
Station Officer (Operations) of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), Otis Charles, told the News Room that upon receiving the call, four fire tenders were dispatched to the scene.
However, upon their arrival, the house was already engulfed.
Firefighters managed to contain the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings.
According to Charles, a GFS investigation revealed that the fire was caused by a kerosene stove which exploded and ignited nearby combustible items.
In an interview with the News Room, the owner of the house, Orin Greenman, 59 said he left home for work leaving everything intact.
Greenman said one of his friends, Willo Wilson, who has been staying with him for some time was present when the fire erupted.
“…When I get to work I hear fire duh pun the house. By time I fly and come up hay everything was done. Is the neighbour see the fire…I see the whole place on fire. Everything bun up, fridge, TV, microwave, generator everything burn up,” Greenman told the News Room in an interview on Friday.
Before going to work, Greenman said used his kerosene stove but he said he ensured he put it out before leaving.
However, Greenman said he could not say whether Wilson, who has a vision impairment, used the stove afterwards and left it unattended.
He further told the News Room that the electricity connection to his house has been unstable to a point where he had actually disconnected it and was using a generator.
“Normally the wire does give a feedback….I shut it off and when the breeze blow it come on back,” he noted.
Greenman lived in the house all his life. He said all of his valuables were destroyed in the fire including $600,000 which he was saving.
He told the News Room that he had plans to repair his house and had already purchased building materials including blocks.
Until he decides his next move, Greenman said he will be seeking shelter at his relatives.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to say. I got to get somewhere to live,” he said.
My sympathy goes out to Mr. Greenman. After all, he had his own roof over his head and now this …… What trauma. He has lost everything in the blaze including money he was saving up to repair his house. No one knows the sacrifices he made to reach to the point he had reached. This is a lesson for him which he would never, ever forget. I do hope that kind citizens would at least help him to start rebuilding. At this point in time, he needs all the help he could get.