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Fires

Jan 18, 2024 Editorial

Kaieteur News – A number of Guyanese families, mainly in Demerara County, are beginning the New Year in a terrible place.  In the small span of 10 days, a total of 13 buildings have been either completely destroyed, or severely damaged, by fire.  Thirteen buildings in 10 days is one trauma after another in quick succession, with lots of loss and grief left in the wake of these fires.  It is going to be a difficult year for almost all of these citizens, now forced to cope with homelessness, loss of precious belongings, and forced to pick up the pieces anyway that they can.

Three buildings were completely destroyed in Sophia, three in the Timehri and Yarrowkabra areas, two on the East Bank Demerara, two on the West Demerara, one on the East Coast Demerara, one in South Ruimveldt, and one in Corentyne, Berbice.  As can be seen from this quick sketch, the disasters covered a wide arc, and then there was the tragedy of two lives lost.  The sources have been traced so far to overloaded electrical circuit, an exploding kerosene stove, a child fiddling with a lighter, and even one case of suspected arson.  Regardless of the origins, a number of individuals and families are alive, but a long and hard road is ahead for them.  One would have expected that some of the fires, the bulk of them, to occur during the holiday season when alcohol flows in abundance, and inhibitions are at their lowest, meaning that accidents are more likely to happen during the celebrations.  The reality is that none one of these fires took place during the extended Christmas and New Year’s weekends, but shortly afterwards, with the first fire on January 2ndin the Soesdyke-Linden Highway area, and a second fire later that day in Berbice.  In the latter instance, a schoolteacher died.

How to stop the frequency of these fires?  How to put oneself in a position to slow one down once it has started?  Smoke alarms could help by giving early notice of danger, enabling putting out a small flicker before it spreads, or stopping a fire before it gets out of control, or saving some belongings. Fire extinguishers can come in handy and be an invaluable presence in a bind.  Also, we all need to be aware that power strips and electrical circuits can only take so many demands for energy before something gives (overloading), and the worst happens.  Far too often, we have heard and reported about disastrous fires and that not uncommon element, the little ones.  Adults can never be diligent enough, and spend enough time, either with their children, or educating them about the serious consequences of playing with matches, or as happened, a lighter.

To rewire a home is expensive, even obtaining a fire extinguisher can be a burden on many.  As much as we would like to mention building codes and such, it would be adding insult to injury to talk about that in the face of the present spate of individual and family disasters.  Some are barely eking out a living, so to raise some of the necessary things that should be present in the house, as a safety precaution, would be the height of insensitivity.  We do not think that in recent times, there has been such a concentration of fires in under two weeks.  None of these fires seems to have alcohol as a contributory factor, or some errant lit cigarette.  Some of them are of unknown origins (at least one), and a couple of them are under investigation.

An abundance of precautions is among the best remedies, with constant vigilance when there are children in the home a recommendation that makes a difference.  Some things, like matches, have to be secured, meaning, out of reach, and each parent or guardian has to make the decisions that are most appropriate for their homes.  What works for one family may not necessarily fit another as well.  The adults have to take charge, and set the standards as to what must prevail in their homes.  To restate the obvious, like domestic violence, these fires are taking a harsh toll on Guyanese, and good sense must carry the day.

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