In the modern era, he has improved the techniques of producing fire by the use of phosphorus, electricity and various fuels, etc.

Fire is among the most important elements and is of inestimable value to man.

But it is also fraught with dangers and carelessness has resulted in tremendous disasters.

The list of disasters resulting from fires in this country is long and the capital Georgetown has seen some of the most devastating.

Guyana has had more than enough of disastrous fires and the number already chalked up for the year so far is alarming.

Only recently, well-known cultural personality Laxhmie Kalicharran died in a fire that swept through her house.

A few weeks before that a young mother and her two young children narrowly escaped from a mid-morning fire at their home, also in Georgetown.

And now at Linden two young children have perished under circumstances that have baffled residents of the bauxite mining town.

A characteristic of disastrous fires in Guyana has been the death toll on children, especially when they are left alone at home.

Safety and fire prevention seem to have dropped on the list of priorities in many homes.

Why is it that young children are so often left unsupervised at home? Is this attitude one that reflects a general breakdown in responsible behaviour and actions in the society?

The issue of fire prevention cannot be treated lightly and has to be addressed by all of society.

Good safety habits have to be drilled into children from their early years at home and in school.

It is not a matter only for the Fire Service. It has to be a concern for parents, educators, community leaders, managers at worksites, church leaders, researchers and many others.

But most of all there is need for the inculcation of a responsible attitude and that has to come from the home and the school because those are the foundations of the societal environment.

In the short-term there is need for a constant and consistent structured permanent educational and nationwide fire safety campaign by the Fire Service in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, industry and non-governmental organisations.

A proactive approach is needed.

The authorities cannot wait until it is Fire Prevention Week or when a disaster strikes to mount these campaigns as seems to be the customary practice.

Of course, the question of available resources to implement such programmes will arise, but ways and means will have to be found to deal with this most disturbing situation.

Too much is at stake for it to be treated as a casual matter.