$200M Mahaicony mansion goes up in flames

Jun 10, 2009 News

A sprawling two-storeyed concrete building at Dundee, Mahaicony, was completely gutted by a blaze which started around 12:45hrs yesterday, leaving four homeless.

The gutted building

The imposing structure which had five bedrooms, had been built just a year ago by Raymond Rahaman and his wife Annie, re-migrants from Canada. Losses were estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Kaieteur News understands that the mansion which was completed only two months ago, was worth a whopping $200M.
The Rahamans were mum on the cause of the blaze though many nearby suggested it may have been electrical in origin.
Reports said that the fire started in the upper flat of the house while the Rahamans and their two teenaged sons were in the bottom flat. At the time there was a power failure in the area.
This newspaper was informed that the Rahamans were carrying out works in the bottom flat of the house with the aid of a portable generator.

The single unit in attendance

It is believed that some electrical appliance short-circuited and caused a fire in the upper flat, unknown to the Rahamans.
By the time neighbours noticed smoke coming from the upper flat of the building it was too late.
The family was assisted by a bucket brigade but their combined efforts against the rapidly spreading fire proved futile. By the time a fire engine from Blairmont on the West Bank of Berbice arrived it was too late.
Even then, despite the dogged efforts of the firefighters, the blaze lasted for over two more hours largely due to the ineffectiveness of the single water tender, a Land Rover with a hose, against the flames.
As the building burned, residents and onlookers were overheard lamenting the lack of a Fire Service in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice)
The Rahaman family members who were among the onlookers, were hard hit by the catastrophe and Mr Rahaman, at one point, collapsed and had to be taken to the nearby Mahaicony Hospital for medical attention.
The Police at Mahaicony were up to late yesterday afternoon investigating.