By Utamu Belle
A fire of unknown origin on Monday completely ravaged a five-bedroom house at Lot 239 One Mile, Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), resulting in losses of over $ 20 million.
The fire is said to have started between 15:30 and 16:05. The homeowner is reportedly living abroad but the house was left in the care of her son, Rudolph Wills.
However, at the time of the fire, Wills was not at home but later claimed he had secured the property and entered his neighbor’s house, which is about 30 meters away.
He told the Police that he had been alerted while there was a smoke alert emanating from the house. This was followed by a massive fire.
“I went over to my neighbor … I went to play domino,” Wills told this publication, noting further that he had been warned by his son who was also in the neighbor’s building.
“When he comes outside… he sees the big smoke. She said, “Dadi, daddy! Smoke! When I watched I said, “That’s me”.
He noted that the smoke emanated from one of the bedrooms and he quickly rushed over but the west side of the house was on fire.
“We are running and coming over. By the time we ran and came over and burst open the front door, I couldn’t even get into the house, ”said Wills.
He explained that the fire service had been contacted as neighbors rushed to assist but due to the intensity of the heat, they could not save anything.
The house was built about 50 years ago.
The devastated man explained that the house was fully furnished. In fact, he added that there were several pieces of electrical equipment that were never used.
He said his mother, who lives in the United States, has made sure the house is fully furnished so she will be equipped when she visits.
“I didn’t let go of anything… everything I do. I don’t even use a microwave … it’s just the fridge, “said the man.
On the other hand, he noted that when the fire tenders arrived at the venue, they had some difficulties in accessing water.
Meanwhile, Wills’ sister, Sharon Wills-Joe, who lives out of Linden, traveled to the mining town after hearing about the incident. He noted that he would travel to Linden from time to time to look at the house where he grew up.
She said she was plunged into a state of shock after receiving the devastating news. She noted that while the cause of the fire is unknown, her brother was very careful.
“He pulls even the telephone cord. When I come, I have to plug the phone in, everything, ”he noted.
The woman said they were more concerned about how their mother would take the news as she would always invest in her home. The family was in the process of re-establishing the house. They noted that the only remaining upgrades were to the fence.
“He had every little thing a house needed because mum always made sure she got everything. She wanted to enjoy her old age. That’s what she would always say, ”said Wills-Joe.
The duo requested that their mother only visited Guyana a few months ago to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Meanwhile, family members and residents were busy assisting the family on Tuesday to clear the debris. Officers from the Guyana Fire Service and Guyana Police have launched an investigation into the fire. Anyone wishing to assist the family can contact Wills at phone number 630-8675.