Leak from gas stove results in fire, apartment building damaged

A fire which damaged a three-storey apartment building on Thursday at Lot 360 Section B, Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara, was caused by a leak from a gas cylinder that came into contact with flames on the stove, the Fire Service revealed on Friday.

“The fire was a result of flammable vapors released from a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder that came into contact with open flames from a lit gas stove.

“The fire subsequently ignited nearby combustible materials and spread throughout the second and

first floors of the building, respectively,” the Fire Service noted in a press release.

The eastern side of the top floor was occupied by 49-year-old Maxine Murray and 32-year-old Graymond Douglas while the western side was occupied by Aliza Cummings and her daughter.

The eastern side of the first floor was occupied by 39-year-old Renuka Muka, 35-year-old Kelvin Reddy, and a twelve-year-old child; the ground floor had a supermarket and general store.

According to the fire service, at 18:32 hrs, the Fire Department received a call about the fire, and two water tenders and a water carrier from the Melanie, Campbellville, and Alberttown fire stations immediately responded.

Within minutes, the trucks arrived and made attempts to extinguish the flames but the three-storey wooden and concrete structure was severely damaged by the fire.