A Claxton Bay truck driver and his daughter are now homeless after their two homes were destroyed by a bush fire yesterday.
The fire occurred around 9 am while Raymond Gajadhar, 54, was at work and his five-year-old daughter was at the babysitter’s house.
Their two one-bedroom plywood homes were completely burnt, along with their furniture and personal items destroyed. Gajadhar’s car was also destroyed while a three-tonne van, owned by his neighbour Helious Hector, was damaged.
When Guardian Media visited his home at Hill Top Drive, Springvale, Gajadhar, also known as Dog Mouth, was not there.
Hector, a Dominican national living here for 20 years, alleged that a resident was burning garbage, and the fire spread to his (Hector) property destroying his fig patch, then to Gajadhar’s homes.
He said Gajadhar built a second house after his first house started deteriorating. Hector said he was at work when he got a call that his house and Gajadhar’s house was on fire.
He said, “When I reach home I meet my neighbour’s house on fire. Luckily God bless I have some friends that save my house. I have tanks with water and they keep taking water from the tank and out down the place.”
He said Gajadhar arrived shortly after, but they could not save his house.
“When the fire service reach everything was on the ground. They did not take to long but remember the place is wood and you see the kind of wind blowing there so that come just like you put a fire match in a gas tank.” he added.
Looking at the rubble that was still burning, Hector was concerned that his neighbour lost all his belongings and is without a home.
“People don’t want to understand is dry season, stop lighting fire and that’s the outcome of it,” Hector said.
Officers of the Savonetta Fire Station responded and are continuing investigations into the cause of the blaze.
