One dead, 13 homeless in massive fire at Agricola

Mar 21, 2023 News

…child playing with matches on mattress seen as main cause

Kaieteur News – A fire at Lot 101 Third Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara on Sunday claimed the life of a 45-year-old man and left 13 persons homeless.

The dead man has been identified as Kevin Trotman.

The aftermath of the fire which claimed the life of Kevin Trotman and left 13 persons homeless at Third Street, Agricola.

According to information received from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the fire occurred around 14:58hrs and destroyed two houses. Trotman died in one of the houses.

The GFS revealed that the fire started in a two-storey wooden and concrete building owned by a man identified only as Mr. Narine. The first floor of the building was occupied by the deceased while the ground floor was occupied by 42-year-old Marcia Cato and her family of seven.

The fire from that building spread to another two-storey building located at Lot 102 Third Street (situated on the southern side of the building where the fire originated). That building was reportedly owned by 45-year-old Sonia Hope who occupied the structure along with her family of four.

Kaieteur News understands that two other buildings were also affected by radiated heat, resulting in some home appliances, construction tools, and walls being damaged.

The fire was extinguished by firefighters who responded from the Eccles, Central, and West Ruimveldt fire stations.

In relation to the origin of the fire, the GFS said that a child was playing with matches that ignited a foam mattress and caused the fire to quickly spread throughout the building.

The Fire Service advised citizens to exercise caution and follow safety measures to avoid home fires. Additionally, the GFS said that children should be educated on the dangers of fire starters (matches and lighters) and warned about their use.

“Do not leave children unattended or at home without adult supervision. Keep children away from the cooking area, and ensure matches and lighters are out of their reach at all times. Equip your homes with fire prevention and firefighting devices such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers; these will aid in alerting people to a fire and putting it out quickly,” the Fire Service said in a statement.

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Agricola, East bank Demerara, Eccles, Kevin Trotman, Mr. Narine

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