Latest update January 1st, 2025 1:00 AM
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Fire displaces two families on Diwali night – 2 houses destroyed
The festive celebrations of Diwali became a sad one for three families, after fire destroyed two homes, and badly damaged a third at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
The fire occurred at around 20.00 hrs.
One of the distraught families
According Omadai Persaud, her family had left with her 79-year-old, wheelchair bound mother, to participate in the lighting of diyas.
She remained at home, along with one of her sisters, and the two women decided sit on a bench in front of their yard.
While they were conversing, Persaud recalled hearing explosions from within the house. She decided to enter the house to investigate but was greeted with sparks from an electric meter and flames from the kitchen.
Persaud panicked and began to scream, “Fire! Fire! Fire! Her nephew was returning at the same time, pushing his grandmother in her wheelchair.
As he heard his aunt scream, Persaud ran to help her. At first, they tried to save the house by removing a gas cylinder, but then opted to leave the building. He then grabbed his aunt and exited the house.
They then stood outside, watching their home burn.
Meanwhile, next door, two young women who were relaxing in the upper flat of the neigbouring house heard the screams as well.
As they looked through the window they saw their neigbours’ home being engulfed in flames.
The fire the spread to their home.
Like their neigbours, this family also watched helplessly as their house was razed.
Kaieteur News understands from eyewitnesses that the fire began with a spark from a meter located at the back of the Persauds’ house.
Ishwar Rajat, Omadai’s nephew, who also lives in the house, claimed that the meter would often spark. He added that this was reported to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) on numerous occasions but no one ever came to investigate.
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