Meten-Meer-Zorg family estimates $15M in losses after fire destroys house  

A family at Lot 130 Fourth Street Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, is hopeful they can rebuild their house after a fire destroyed it on Wednesday afternoon.

The family estimates some $15 million in losses, Lot 130 Fourth Street, according to Azam Safdur.

The destroyed two-storey house belonged to Azam’s father, Mohamed Zaban.

Shazam Safdur, his wife, Nasena and their three children, also lived there. Shazam and two of his children were home when the electrical fire started at about 13:00 hrs and he contacted the Leonora Fire Station.

According to the Guyana Fire Service, at about 13:12 hrs, the fire was alerted and dispatched a small water tender but before it could extinguish the fire, the building and its contents were already destroyed.

Azam on Thursday told the News Room that neighbours started a bucket brigade as they awaited the arrival of the fire service.

“We had some issues with the fire engine, we call, we call, we call, we were not getting through with them, when we did get through, we had to wait like 30 minutes after.

“Like about 1:30 they reach here, then it had no water; after they have no water, they had to call for another fire truck,” Azam said.

The family has started cleaning up the debris and hopes to rebuild. But Azam said this is a bad start to the year for the family because the excitement for the New Year was replaced by sadness.

“We have to rebuild and as early as possible, we plan to start.

“This is a bad year for us, the beginning of the year we just finish coming out from the old year into the New Year, its hurtful and very, very bad for us,” the man said.

He explained that the family is deeply saddened by the loss because for over 40 years, it was the only home they knew.

“All of us are in terrible shock and we all feel really bad about it knowing that we born and grow here.

“Our livelihood is here, everything is here for us and not we alone, the entire extended family used to come here and anything around the area, we used to come here,” the man said.