Last Updated on Sunday, 10 March 2024, 16:28 by Written By Denis Chabrol
An early Sunday morning fire destroyed two hotels and two houses at Eteringbang, a gold mining community on the Guyana side of the border with Venezuela, sources said.
No one was injured.
A source said the fire was caused by a faulty electricity generator.
The Guyana Fire Service, however, said the fire that started at about 3 AM was of “unknown origin.
According to 52-year old Brazilian Raimundo Lucio Dos Anjos Oliveira, who resides at Eteringbang Landing, he noticed the fire erupting from the circuit board area of his two-storey building, which consists 10 rooms.
Mr. Oliveira said he attempted to extinguish the flames with water but was unsuccessful as the fire quickly spiraled out of control, engulfing his building and two other abandoned structures nearby.
“The valiant efforts of Mr. Oliveira and community members, who rallied with water pumps, contained the fire from spreading to additional buildings. There were no reported casualties,” the Guyana Fire Service said.
The Fire Service said at this time, the estimated value of the damage remains unknown, even as investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
