Latest update June 25th, 2026 12:41 AM
Farm fire death clear case of arson
-Fire Chief
-victim died of smoke inhalation and extensive burns
The preliminary investigation into Thursday’s fire at Farm, East Bank Essequibo that claimed the life of former boxer Godfrey Alexander has revealed that arsonists caused the tragedy.
This is according to Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle who spoke with this publication yesterday.
An unoccupied building near to Alexander’s home also went up in flames but Gentle said their investigation has showed that there was no way that the fire from that building could have spread to the victim’s home.
He added that according to reports both buildings caught fire almost simultaneously. Some residents have suggested that the arsonists mistook the unoccupied building for Alexander’s home.
Gentle said the fire service is still investigating but persons in the area are reluctant to give any information.
The police are also working on the theory that the fires were both deliberately set.
A post mortem which was performed on the victim revealed that he died as a result of smoke inhalation and extensive burns to his entire body.
Police have received information that the property in which Alexander lived was at the centre of a dispute. There are also reports that Alexander, said to be in his seventies, was involved in a scam involving the selling and re-selling of lands.
On Thursday morning residents of Farm, Old Road East Bank Demerara were awakened by screams and saw two adjacent buildings on fire. Residents said they immediately went to the building which was occupied by Alexander and his two tenants.
The elderly man’s badly burned remains were found in the gutted building.
The man, who is a former boxer and a nut vendor in the Parika area, was found clutching a bag of money fastened between his bed and his bedroom wall.
The two tenants were not at home at the time.
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