Family loses home in Oronoque St fire
A Brazilian family lost their home in a fire along Oronoque Street, Queenstown yesterday afternoon.
The fire, which started around 4.45 pm, gutted the house, which is located a short distance away from Lamaha Street.
According to neighbours, the fire started on the veranda and then spread to the rest of the house. While the origin of the fire was unknown, the neighbours said cardboard boxes that were on the veranda fuelled the spread of the flames.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene, the house was already gutted and firefighters were working diligently to put out the remaining flames.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle informed reporters that two tenders, one from the Campbellville Fire Station and the other from the Alberttown Fire Station, responded to a report of the fire. He said that upon arrival at the scene, a neighbour had already used three fire extinguishers in an attempt to contain the fire.
Gentle identified the occupants as a Brazilian family. The family did not want to speak to the media.
It was noted that there were no injuries to anyone.
However, a neighbour said a dog would have suffered some burns or scalding from the flames.
George Russo, the neighbour who assisted in fighting the fire, told
Stabroek News that he grabbed his fire extinguisher after he realised his neighbour seemed to not know what to do about the fire emanating from her home. “She was downstairs and I notify her of what was happening. She really did not know what to do. By that time I ran back home and got my fire extinguisher,” he explained.
Russo said that he was able to contain the fire by using three fire extinguishers. “First extinguisher finish, the fire was contained a bit, I ran and got the second one. When that one done, I got the last one,” he noted, before adding that by that time the flames started to rise as the PVC ceiling started to melt and he had to abandon his efforts as the heat became too much for him to withstand.