Drug user detained as Grove house burns down

Dec 21, 2010 News

Police have detained a drug user and a teenager following a fire early yesterday morning that left one Grove home totally destroyed and hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to neighbouring properties.
Neighbours who were still reeling from the aftermath of the blaze accused one of dwellers in the home of using drugs and constantly threatening to burn down the property at Lot 300 Third Street, Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

Firemen battled to quell the flames Sunday night.

According to neighbours, the fire would have started shortly after 02:00hrs, and quickly consumed the wooden building which was in a derelict state for some time now.
According to Fazal Rahaman, who lives at Lot 299 Grove Housing Scheme, he heard ‘Tony’ calling for him several times around 02:30hrs. ‘Tony’, who neighbours accused of being a heavy drug user and who would threaten to set the home on fire, was the one that police detained.
“I didn’t bother to come out because he normally behaves that way. But after he continued, we came out and saw a big fire in the upstairs kitchen.”
The upper storey of another property to the right of the destroyed house and which formerly housed a society meeting hall, was also badly scorched.
It is believed that a teenager who lived in the burnt out building with his mother and other siblings, may have left a kerosene lamp alight. The home had no electricity connection and it was reported that only the teenager was at home and sleeping in the upper flat at the time of the blaze. Her mother was reportedly at Timehri with the rest of his siblings.
“Several persons helped out to empty the nearby homes because them give up hope wid the one on fire. People with minibuses and cars who passing come and help too.”
According to Munaf Rahaman, family members and friends managed to loosen the valves of their overhead tanks to access water which they used to soak the side of their homes. It worked to some extent. The family’s roof was badly damaged and a twisted antenna told the tale all too clearly.
According to Rahaman, his home was badly scorched by the fire which caused neighbours to form a bucket brigade.
Several families live at the Rahaman home and it will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to now repair the damage.
Another neighbour who lives further south and owns an internet café said that her family came out and helped. Several pieces of furniture were stored in her yard during the firefight.
The Guyana Fire Service arrived within minutes of being summoned, but it was too late to save the building, which went up like a tinderbox.