Cops seek drug addict after fire razes three houses

Feb 11, 2017 News

The police are said to be looking for a drug addict in whose room a fire started around 00:45 hrs yesterday and subsequently destroyed two neighbouring buildings, including a liquor bar at Kitty, Georgetown.

The fire early yesterday morning.

The blaze started on a mattress in the bottom flat of the two-storey building located at Lot 11 Railway Street, and destroyed two houses at Lot 10 Railway and Lot 12 Sandy Babb Streets, Kitty.
It is unclear if the drug addict deliberately started the fire but neighbours claimed that the man had threatened to kill his brother and mother the night before the fire.
“They curse out each other all the time, day and night. This has become a norm in the neighbourhood. The night before the fire, he was cursing them, saying that he gone kill them so no one knows if the fire is related to the argument they had that night,” a neighbour said.
Kaieteur News understands that the drug addict, his mother and sibling have been taking care of the property for a number of years. They have been residing in the lower flat of the building while the upper floor was rented to a family of five.
Althea Solomon, who rents the upper flat of the house, said that she saw a bright light through the crease of the flooring and when she peeped, she saw the entire downstairs in flames.
Solomon said that she quickly picked up her children and ran for their lives. She was unable to save anything.
“The smoke coming through the crease is what we smell and we get up and I peep through de crease I see the downstairs in fire. We couldn’t do anything else cuz we went right over the fire, I just get up in time,” the woman related.
Denishwar Rampersaud and his mother, Lynnette operated the liquor bar at Lot 12 Sandy Babb and Owen Streets, Kitty.
According to Rampersaud, he got home around 23:00 hrs on Thursday and went to bed. Shortly after, he said he was awakened by heat.
“The fire was on my side so I went and wake my mother and we went outside. I tried to go inside back but I couldn’t because the fire had already spread,” the devastated man said. He added that his mother was planning on opening a juice stand next to the liquor bar.
Meanwhile, Fire chief, Marlon Gentle, said that two firemen sustained minor injuries while fighting the blaze.
He said that due to the absence of fire hydrants in the area, fire fighters resorted to using water from Vlissengen Road canal, nearly 200 metres away.
Fire tenders responded from central Georgetown, Campbellville and West Ruimveldt. They went with water but it was soon exhausted.

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