By Jomo Paul

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Timely response from the Guyana Fire Service with five fire trucks failed to save an apartment building from burning to ashes in William Street, Kitty on Saturday evening, September 12, leaving 14 persons homeless.

Reports indicate that the fire started sometime after 17:00hrs in one of the lower apartments of the building and razed through the building – built from both concrete and wood.

iNews understands that less than 30 minutes after the initial call was placed to the Guyana Fire Service, the first fire tender arrived but quickly ran out of water as the flames grew.

Soon after, an additional two fire tenders arrived, also filled with water and began tackling the fire from different angles in an attempt to save other buildings that were in danger.

With persistent efforts from the fire service and the employment of two generators and pumps to supply water, the flames were doused after 45 minutes, but by then the apartment building was already ravaged by the flames.

Firefighters tried tackling the fire from David Street and also resorted to pumping water from a Vlissengen Road canal. iNews spoke to a few of the tenants who explained that their losses amount to millions of dollars.

According to Romel Griffith, who lives on the upper flat, when the fire started, he immediately sought to get some children out of one of the lower apartments since he knew that they were home alone.

Griffith told iNews that his losses could reach up to $20M since he distributes goods and used his apartment as an alternate store house. The man explained too, that from all indications the fire started from one of the lower apartments, which was occupied by three adults. None of them were at home when the fire started.

Another tenant, Deron Bowen stated that he resided in the building for some six years but now he has nothing.

“All, all all, everything gone deh…all that I have is what I have on my back” said Bowen.

He explained that he was on the Demerara Harbour Bridge when he got the call about the fire at his residence. During the undertaking, at least three fire fighters received injuries.