Piezoelectric Fires in Georgetown, Guyana
Mystery Fire in John St. Leaves Seven Homeless
by Zoisa Fraser for the Stabroek News
December 2, 2011
Seven persons are now homeless after a fire of unknown origin destroyed their Lot 24 John Street, Werk-en-Rust home yesterday and an occupant had to be treated at the hospital for burns.
Based on the information gathered, most of the occupants were in the house when smoke was spotted coming from a back room. According to what this newspaper was told there was no one in that room at the time nor was there a power surge or sparking wires before the 8.20 am fire.
A distraught Melissa Taylor told the media that she is clueless as to how the fire started...
Mystery Gire Guts D'Urban Backlands House
by Kristen Macklingam for Kaieteur News
November 16, 2011
A D'Urban Backlands mother of two is now counting her losses as fire destroyed most of her house on Monday, last. The fire occurred while Yonette Thomas was at work and her children at their neighbour's home.
Reports are that Thomas who is employed with Cevon's Waste Management System, left her home on the day in question at 07:10 am. Her two children were also left at home.
Thomas told Kaieteur News that shortly after 13:30hrs (01:30pm) a colleague informed her that her niece had telephoned the workplace with an urgent message- her home was on fire.
She immediately rushed home and saw her children standing with neighbours in front of her house while black smoke emitted from the wooden structure.
Upon questioning her children as to what transpired in her absence, they replied "We don't know." They claimed that they were on the street with some of their neighbour's children when a 'madman' chased them.
According to the distraught woman, the children related that they ran to the home of their neighbour who they asked to "keep them" since the 'madman' was still on the street.
According to Thomas, her children stated that their neighbour (a woman) told them "Ah can't keep y'all. Y'all mother and me don't talk,", however the neighbour's 11-year-old son encouraged his mother to allow the children (who are both under 10 years old to stay in the yard.
The neighbour's son was subsequently "sent for water" at a stand-pipe, some good distance away, where he would have to pass Thomas' home.
This newspaper was told that the boy claimed that he saw the Thomas' house on fire as he passed by, and had notified a man in the area but nothing was done.
The lad claimed that he then returned to his home and told his mother to "send them children home, dem house on fire."
As the fire threatened the house, neighbours broke into the building and used buckets of water to douse the blaze which had already destroyed most of the furniture, while the children stood outside watching helplessly.
Thomas is claiming that she spoke with the man who the young boy said he had notified about the fire.
According to Thomas, the man told her that he was at the front of his house looking down the street in the direction of her house. He saw smoke but he thought that someone was burning garbage.
"He didn't tek it for anything until he see black, thick smoke gushing out of my house. When he ran closer he saw the boy (11-year-old) in my yard running at the back. He (the boy) then kept running through the next neighbour yard as the man called for him and ask him what happen. The man say the boy didn't say anything but kept running," stated Thomas.
She further told Kaieteur News that it has only been a matter of months since she moved into the area and did not have issues with anyone in the area. Her losses include a television set, bed, mattresses, clothing, kitchen utensils and more.
Mystery Fire Demolishes Caneville Home
Kaieteur News
November 14, 2011
A middle aged woman and four children had their Caneville East Bank Demerara home completely demolished by a fire of unknown origin sometime around 19:00hrs on Saturday.
May Daniels, the occupant of the house was not at home at the time of the fire, neither were any of the four young children who reside with her since they would normally stay with a relative until her shift as a Security Officer with Neal and Massy ends. There are conflicting accounts of what transpired which leave more questions than answers.
The property is owned by Bibi Ghannie and an individual identified as Abdul Ghannie who claimed to be her brother said that he visited the home at around 19:00hrs and while there was no one at home, he recalled seeing a lit lantern inside the house.
He said that 10 minutes later he heard that the building was on fire.
The home does not have electricity but his account of a lit lantern in the house seems to have left a mark on only his memory, as none of the neighbours recalled seeing any light in the house before the fire started.
While the Guyana Fire Service did have a heavy presence on the scene, little could have been done to save the small 15 feet x 20 feet wooden house and significant amount of the blame has been cast on the state of the roads which prevented the tenders from accessing the area in a timely manner despite receiving early calls.
Caneville is located aback of Samantha Point, which is itself aback of Grove on the East Bank Demerara.
While a part of the main road to get into Caneville from the EBD Public Road is in an operable condition, a significant part of the journey into the impoverished community takes one into a "crater-filled hell", impeding the flow of just about any kind of vehicle.
To make matters worse the area does not have access to potable water and as such could not readily assist in providing any kind assistance prior to the arrival of the fire tender.
Mystery Fire Ravages Kitty House
by Michael Outridge for the Guyana Chronicle
November 7, 2011
A man was burnt about the body in the wee hours of yesterday morning in a fire which partially destroyed his two-flat wooden house at Lot 17 Owen Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
Residents said the fire started about midnight, while they were asleep, and they were awoken by screams for help from the next-door neighbour, while they saw thick smoke interspersed with fire billowing from the house.
They could not say how the fire started, but noted that the man lived alone after his mother died last month, and they believe that he was alone and in bed when the fire began.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) were summoned and when they arrived, they doused the flames to prevent them from spreading to nearby buildings in Owen Street.
The man, Steve (only name given), is now a patient in the Burns Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) with burns to his back and hands.
Neighbours said the young man, approximately 22 years old, was the victim of a robbery at his home last week, and it is quite unfortunate that a fire has now deprived him of all his worldly possessions.
Residents are of the opinion that the burnt house is haunted. They said that some seven persons who once resided at the place all died under mysterious circumstances.
Mystery Fire Scares Tenants in Campbellville
Kaieteur News
October 13, 2011
The door of a Campbellville house was set alight under mysterious circumstances yesterday.
The evidence of the fire was a burnt front door, a section of the flooring and some furniture.
A woman named Ashanti shares the home with some other people. She said that she was sleeping when her cousin who lives downstairs and a neighbour came by to put the fire out.
What makes this fire such a mystery is that the house is a two-flat building. It would appear that if an individual started the fire he would have had to go to the upper flat with match and gasoline.
Having done this the perpetrator would have had to leave the premises without being seen or heard.
It was the smell of gasoline that alerted the neighbour and Ashanti's cousin who lives in the bottom flat. Ashanti said she was sleeping and when she awoke the fire was already put out.
Another neighbour who was not aware of what happened stated "I passed by the house today and wondered when that could have happened."
Most of the neighbours were in disbelief that a fire could break out in their neighbourhood without a soul being aware of its origin. Ashanti stated she has no idea who could have done this or why.
Major Fire Destroys Three Buildings Including Vital T&HD Ferry Spares
Demerara Waves
August 11, 2011
A major fire early Thursday morning ripped through the old Beharry building, the Transport and Harbours (T&HD) Bond on Water Street and a building housing the boat-building and optical service of the Mings.
Fire officials believe that the blaze of unknown origin started in the T&HD building shortly after 1 AM.
Transport Minister, Robeson Benn said millions of dollars in spares for ferry vessels were destroyed in the blaze.
"I can only refer to the loss of stores and critical ships' engine spares. We'll have to sit down and assess on how we can make good the loss of those spares to keep the ferry services going," he told Demerara Waves Online News at the scene of the blaze.
The three buildings- Beharry's building and T&HD's and the Ming's ship-building and optical service building on Urquhart Street-- date back to Guyana's colonial past. The Beharry's building and the T&HD bond were located on Water Street opposite the City Abbatoir and the T&HD's North West Ferry wharf.
Several loud explosions were heard and fire officials believe that they were from a large quantity of inflammable substances stored in the T&HD Bond.
Residents living in 11 small wooden houses on New Market Street evacuated their premises with their valuables. None of those structures were affected by the blaze. The main building of Mings Products and Services on Uruqhart Street was also unaffected by the fire.
"Everybody was just hollering and the (electrical) wires burst, people just running helter-skelter because is fire this hour of the morning and people sleeping and is a poor neighbourhood, you don't know what could happen and people just jump up and save what they could save," a resident told reporters.
Scores of police turned out to protect the residents' belongings. After firefighters brought the blaze under control, residents were seen taking back their household effects into their premises.
Another Mystery Fire Hits Enmore House
Kaieteur News
May 15, 2011
Just two days after her three-year-old son was burnt to death while sleeping on his bed, Roschell Jagmohan was forced to deal with another mystery fire that again threatened to destroy the lot 7 Blossom Scheme, Enmore, East Coast Demerara family house she is living in.
This time around, the fire damaged a bed and other household items in a bottom flat bedroom that is occupied by her brother-in-law, Parasram Ramlagan. Again no one could say what caused the fire but there is much speculation, including supernatural occurrences. Except for a part of a mattress and a few pieces of clothing, the actual room was not damaged as neighbours successfully put out the blaze.
The occupant of the room was not at home at the time the fire started and investigators from the fire department and the police could not immediately say what the cause was. Jagmohan, who is still mourning the loss of her son, Tony Ramlagan, told the media yesterday that she was sitting at the front of the yard with her daughter and two other relatives when an alarm was raised.
"All I do was grab she (daughter) because I remember my son. I run with she and start holler fuh fire. Dem neighbours come with bucket and throw," Jagmohan told this newspaper yesterday.
Coming so close on the heels of Tuesday's tragedy, Jagmohan and other family members are baffled by the occurrences, especially since in both cases the fires started on mattresses. Electricity has almost been ruled out and the family is certain that there was nothing in the rooms that could have caused the fires.
Parasram Ramlagan, who occupies the burnt-out bottom flat room, told the media that he has not cooked since his nephew was burnt and added that he does not smoke or use mosquito coils. Both he and Jagmohan claimed to have no problems with anyone.
"It bothering me. I don't know what is going on," Jagmohan said, adding that she hopes to bury her son today after a post mortem examination is done."Is better de house de bun than the baby wha dead," her brother-in-law told the media.
On Tuesday, last, Tony Ramlagan sustained burns to his entire body while he was asleep in a bedroom in the upper flat of the house. He died the following day at the Georgetown Hospital's Intensive Care Unit.
His mother had told this newspaper that the fire started at around 11:30hrs in the front bedroom of the house while she was in the kitchen preparing a meal.
"I put he down on de bed and went to cook, and I check back on he and he was sleeping, and while I de cooking I turn around and see smoke coming out from de bedroom."
The woman related that she immediately raised an alarm, by which time neighbours had noticed the blaze. Police say that while the occurrences are strange they have no suspicions about anyone, although they have questioned Jagmohan extensively.
A source close to the investigation said that there might be some difficulty in finding the cause of the first fire, as the occupants of the house had already cleaned up the premises. Kaieteur News understands that the remnants of the burnt bed and other items that were in the room, including a fan, were all been removed.
Explosion Precedes Mystery Fire at Leonora
Stabroek News
March 26, 2011
A fire of unknown origin has left a Leonora, West Coast Demerara family homeless after their two-storey wooden house was destroyed yesterday afternoon.
Toolsieram Hurry, the patriarch of the family, said that he was not at home when the fire started. Hurry said that he was taking a relative to the airport when he received a telephone call from a neighbour. The man said that he completely forgot that his relative had a flight to catch, since he just turned around his vehicle. When he arrived home, firefighters were attempting to quell the blaze. The firefighters managed to save the lower flat of the building which sustained minimum water damage.
The owner of the house told this newspaper that he lived there with his daughter-in law and two grandchildren and could not at the time estimate his loss. He said that they lived in the upper flat of the building and everything was completely destroyed.
One neighbour told this publication that he heard a loud explosion shortly after noon. The man said that soon after the explosion plumes of smoke were seen emanating for the building followed by heavy flames. The neighbour said that he quickly called the Leonora Police Station, who contacted the fire service.
Residents commended the response time for the fire service, but lamented that there was no water. The fire fighters had to resort to a nearby trench.
A fireman who was at the scene briefly told Kaieteur News that they have ruled out that the explosion was caused by a cooking gas bottle given that in order for that to happen, the bottle containing the gas need to be subjected to extreme heat. Following the fire the smell of cooking gas continued to permeate the kitchen area of the house. The building, according to the owner, was not insured.
Mystery Fire Damages Guyhoc Apartment
Stabroek News
January 6, 2011
A mysterious fire around 14:30 hours yesterday shattered the New Year plans of a Walker Terrace, Guyhoc Park family.
Although the blaze did not completely destroy the dwelling of the Davson family, it did significant damage to one of the two bedrooms as well as of their apartment to cause them severe discomfort.
The fire completely destroyed a bed and several pieces of clothing and other items.
Julius Davson, one of the occupants of the apartment told members of the media that had it not been for quick action by himself and neighbours the damage would have been more extensive.
Davson, a press supervisor with the Kaieteur News related that he had just left the room and went downstairs to watch the breaking news of yesterday's downtown explosion on television.
"Within ten minutes we heard something like explosions upstairs and I ran upstairs and the whole bed burn and the roof, TV and couple other things," Davson recalled.
He said that judging from the sound, the explosions could have been the cracking of glass.
"We would normally have rain water stored in front and we put out the fire," he said. Cedric Clarke, who lives in an adjoining apartment, said that he had brought his granddaughter home when he discovered that there was a fire in the section of the building that is occupied by his daughter and her family.
"I didn't get any call. They were trying to get into contact with me. When I was coming home I saw the fire tender going out and when I came here I asked what happened.
Only yesterday I went and advanced the insurance on this place," Clarke, an ex-soldier told this newspaper.
Mystery Fire Guts Eccles House
Stabroek News
November 22, 2010
A fire of unknown origin this morning gutted a two-storey concrete house at Lot 129 First Street, 'BB' Eccles East Bank Demerara, leaving in its wake millions of dollars in damage.
The two women who occupied the structure were out when the smoke was noticed around 9 am.
An alarm was raised by neighbours and a fire tender responded promptly. The blaze which was raging was eventually quelled.
Fire officials are conducing investigations to ascertain the origin of this latest fire.
Mystery Fire Hits Police Station
Cornelia-Ida News
December 24, 2005
Fire of unknown origin threatened to destroy the Leonora Police Station on the West Coast Demerara early yesterday morning but firemen stationed nearby averted a disaster.
Fire officials up to late yesterday were combing the debris for clues to the blaze which police said began at about 01:30 h in the northwestern section of the wooden building which houses the Police Divisional headquarters.
The Guyana Chronicle understands there was an electricity cut in the area before flames burst out in the building but there was no immediate clue that the fire was triggered by an electrical fault when power was restored.
One police rank suffered minor burns on the back as cops tried to put out the blaze and a car was extensively damaged by the flames, police said.
Prompt action by members of the Guyana Fire Service stationed at the nearby fire station brought the blaze under control.
Senior officers at the Police Station told the Guyana Chronicle that the fire started in the northwestern section of the building, severely damaging the section housing the Traffic and Certifying Office which was on the lower flat.
Analysis
These unusual fires are being caused all over the world by an unrecognized force: ultra-low frequency sound, far below the audible level of most humans. This infrasonic influence is building strong electrical currents in the metal wiring in the walls of homes, which then become hot enough to ignite the plastic sheathing surrounding the wires. In other cases, heated wires ignite bed mattresses and metal hangers ignite clothing.
The infrasound which is now being focused onto the Georgetown, Guyana area is being transduced by the Orion pyramids of present-day Giza, Egypt, which act as a nonlinear lensing system for resonantly balancing the geomagnetic fields of Earth as stimulated by coronal mass ejections from the increasingly active sun.
Georgetown, Guyana (6.79°N 58.13°W) is 5,946 miles from Giza, or 23.9% of the Earth's mean circumference (of 24,892 miles). Other related infrasound resonance events are also taking place along this 23.5% resonant distance band in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, where electronics glitches have garnered media attention. Georgetown is also about 1,879 miles from Nazca, Peru, or 7.5% of the Earth's mean circumference distance.
Other widely reported examples of such extreme manifestations of this resonance are now simultaneously occurring in Tenerife, Freetown, Babura, Abuja, Bauchi, Jos, Omukondo, Onakaheke, Tsholotsho, Lalapansi, Goodhope, Nairobi, Mpumalanga, Mapuve, Bodibe, Bloemfontein, Hopewell, Cape Town, Landovica, Galway, Longford, Glasgow, Dublin, Crewe, Waterford, Peterborough, Coventry, Hull, London, Surrey, Steeple, Egham, Wisbech, Messina, Peschici, Berici, across northern Greece, Ratria, Kakori, Mumbai, Kolkata, Charajpura, Thiruvananthapuram, Kishtwar, Gangyal, Rangrik, Kota Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Santo Tomas, Bandar Seri Begawan, New Norcia Darwin, Rockhampton, Adelaide, Brisbane, Eaglehawk, Sydney, La Pampa, Melipilla, Nelson, and in the US in Seattle, Corvallis, Soudan SP, Minneapolis, New Ulm, Pueblo, Waxahachie, Anderson, Bluffton, Georgetown, Gautier, Crestview, Homosassa, San Mateo, Vallejo, San Francisco, Clovis, Calaveras, Haverhill, Peabody, Brentwood and New York City.
This pattern of intense solar flares and the resulting infrasound fires at focal points around the planet will culminate in the intense auroral events of December 22, 2012.