Another southside fire destroys building

Twenty-four hours after the fire alarm was sounded at the corner of North Creek Road and Curasow Street, firemen were once again busy on the southside of the city early this morning.

The upper flat of the two-storey building at the corner of thirty-nine Dean and Plues Streets was partially destroyed by fire which broke out shortly before two o’clock this morning. It is believed that the blaze started in one of the three rooms located upstairs of the building that was occupied by three tenants and their landlord. According to Fire Chief Henry Baizar, by the time they arrived on the scene, the central and eastern sides of the building were already engulfed in flames.

Henry Baizar, Fire Chief

“The fire started in one of those rooms and it spread and gutted those three rooms. The kitchen was intact and the two rear rooms where the owner stayed was also intact. They got some water damage, but they weren’t burn.”

Q: “I understand that, that area is particularly congested with a number of small wooden buildings. Was this a primary concern for you guys?”

Henry Baizar

“Yes, there is a lot of other old buildings very close by. I mean one to the north of that one was only ten feet away and I mean it was a very old building likewise. But I think what happened there last night, the guys did a very good job in stopping the fire very quickly.”

It took the fire service only fifteen minutes to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings. The lower flat, which housed De Andres Unisex Boutique did not burn, but the establishment did suffer heavy water damage. While at this time it is not known what may have sparked this latest incident, Baizar says most of the fires that have been occurring over the past weeks have been due to carelessness.

Henry Baizar

“Most of these fires over the past week or so are through negligence, through ignorance or through ignorance about exactly what fire is and what fire is all about. As far as we are concern, the one on Craig Street and Barrack Road there, started from a little hut that didn’t have any electricity and there was candle in the building. Maybe someone knock it down or left it there unattended and that started three or four houses burnt up in smoke, a lot of people left homeless.

So we really have to think about what we are really doing. I would urge the general public to be careful; I mean fire prevention is each and everyone’s responsibility.”

A total of four people were left homeless in this morning’s fire.

No one was injured in the fire and the house was insured. Over the last two months, at least eight houses have been destroyed by fire, leaving nearly twelve families without a roof over their heads.