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2701 fires recorded last year – Home Affairs Ministry stats
A 2023 house fire
…182.5% increase in comparison to 2022
Kaieteur News – There has been an alarming increase in fires in 2023, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said on Wednesday at his ministry’s end-of-year press conference.
Comparing last year’s figures to 2022, the total number of fires increased by 182.5%, with 2701 fires in 2023 compared to 952 in 2022. This increase was reflected in both private buildings and businesses.
Minister Benn at his press conference said, “Every home should have a smoke alarm.” He also encouraged citizens to rewire their homes every 50 years.
“Villagers use to pick up buckets for bucket brigade now they’re picking up phones,” Benn added.
According to the minister, there has been an increase in the malicious setting of fires.
Private structures saw a 44.1% increase in fires, with 429 buildings affected in 2023 compared to 298 in the previous year. The damage varied, showcasing a 49% rise in buildings that were completely destroyed, a 64% increase in severely damaged structures, and a 36.1% uptick in slightly damaged buildings.
The number of business buildings involved in fires also saw a significant increase, rising by 177.1% in 2023. There were 130 business buildings affected in 2023, compared to 47 in 2022. Similar to private buildings, the extent of damage varied, with completely destroyed businesses increasing by 212%, severely damaged businesses increasing by 160%, and slightly damaged businesses increasing by 156%.
In 2022, there were 35 government properties involved in fires. However, in 2023, this number decreased to 21, representing a 66.6% decline. This indicates a reduction in the number of government buildings affected by fires last year.
Moreover, Minister Benn said that the capacity of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) will further be expanded through several initiatives this year. He noted that training for volunteer fire brigades will be expanded to other areas, as he noted that the training has already been completed in Lethem, Mahdia, and Mabaruma.
“In the new budget we are looking at bringing in units and expanding the volunteer fire service,” the minister emphasised during his ministry’s year-end review.
The minister also stated that new fire stations will be constructed at Parika and Vreed-en-Hoop in Region Three, and another location close to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Moreover, Benn pointed out that the fire trucks do not always arrive without water, as he responded to criticisms.
“There’s a limited amount of water which they can carry in the trucks – 300/400 gallons at a time. Those will go pretty quickly,” the home affairs minister said.
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