Eight-year-old Jermaine Johnson died on Sunday, two days after he was injured in a fire that destroyed his Lot 873 South Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown home.
Lynetter Gray, his 75-year-old grandmother, who was also injured in the blaze remains in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) had reported that at about 02:43 hours on January 27, it received a telephone call about a fire at the location.
As such, water tenders from the Campbellville, Alberttown, and Central fire stations responded to the scene, where it was observed that a two-storey wooden and concrete house was engulfed in smoke and flames.
The building is owned by Gray and was occupied by herself and five others. As a result of the fire, the building and its contents were destroyed, leaving six persons homeless.
Gray and the eight-year-old boy were injured during the ordeal and received severe burns on their bodies, while another four-year-old child received minor burns.
Two jets operating from Water Tender #75, Water Carrier #17, and the Prison Bowser were used to extinguish the fire.
The purported cause of the fire is an electrical fan that overheated and ignited nearby combustible materials.
The GFS has noted the prevalence of electrical fires and admonishes citizens to exercise caution and equip their homes with the necessary fire suppression tools (extinguishers, smoke detectors).
It said, too, that some of the main contributing factors to electrical fires include: illegal connections, overloading of circuits, slack connections, malfunction of electrical appliances, and inferior drop cords or circuit strips
Electrical fires are especially dangerous because they can happen at any time if enough care and attention are not exercised toward electrical outlets and appliances, added the GFS.
Further, the GFS expressed that it is deeply saddened by the death of the young boy and is calling on persons to take all necessary precautions to avoid losses that can never be replaced.
