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Victims blame Chinese Restaurant owner
Fire at Grove…
One day after a fire of unknown origin destroyed four buildings including a Chinese restaurant, on the Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara, the affected persons are estimating their loses to be several million dollars.
Savitri Ganesh, a mother of three says she really doesn’t know where to turn, since everything has been totally destroyed.
Ganesh who resided at Lot 52 Grove Public Road said she was unable to save anything in her house. She explained that the lot had two buildings, which had about four apartments. The woman’s elderly parents lived in one of the four apartments.
Ganesh said she estimated her family’s lost at over $15M, since the houses were well furnished with all the modern appliances.
Presently, the woman said they are staying with relatives at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara.
Meanwhile, another neighbour has laid all the blame on the owner of the Chinese restaurant.
According to the neighbour, the owner for the restaurant knew there was a fire and failed to alert persons.
“This man know de fire was in the kitchen and he start moving out he things and ain’t tell nobody….is only after the people upstairs see the thick smoke, then people realise that there was a fire,” the neighbour explained.
The neighbour further told this newspaper that he suspects that the fire was caused by a leaking gas tube.
According to the man, he had made three reports to the sanitation unit to investigate a leaking gas tube at the restaurant but no one came.
This newspaper understands that Saturday’s fire was the third fire which started at the restaurant.
“All de time we going and complain about this gas leak, but no one coming and de man continue buying he gas….now everybody homeless,” cried the man.
The other affected persons were not present yesterday when this newspaper visited the scene .
Efforts yesterday to contact an official from the Fire Service proved futile.
The mid-afternoon fire left a total of 21 persons homeless.
Reports are that the fire started at a Chinese restaurant which is located at lot 50 Grove Public Road but quickly spread to four other buildings.
Alma Pooran, who lived in the upper flat of the two-story building that housed the restaurant, said that she was only made aware that fire was in the bottom flat when she heard neigbhours screaming.
Savitri Ganesh points to her destroyed house
Mrs. Pooran said that she lived at the premises with her husband, Cecil Pooran, and 13 other relatives, including her daughter and grandchildren. The distraught woman said that the proprietor of the restaurant did not even indicate to them that the building was on fire.
“People say they see this man trying to fetch he thing outside. Is till the fire get big then people know that there was a fire.”
Mr. Pooran said that he tried assisting his elderly wife out of the building but by then a section of his flooring was on fire. He said that he sustained burns to the sole of his feet.
The couple and other family members managed to run out the burning house before gas cylinders started to explode.
Eyewitness at the scene had been complaining to the proprietor about the way he stores his gas.
Another woman, Yvonne Ramkishun, who lost her two-flat home located at 51 Grove Public Road, said that she was asleep. She was awakened by screams of ‘Fire! Fire!’
The woman said that at the time she was home alone. Moments earlier her granddaughter had left for school. She added that her daughter who is physically challenged was at work.
Ramkishun said that her losses will run into millions of dollars as she too had a well-furnished home.
The other house which was destroyed housed a family of five, Neil James his wife and their three children. The lower flat of that building housed a liquor store. However some of the items from that business place were saved.
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