A man died of severe burns about his body yesterday after he accidentally set himself on fire, by falling asleep with a lit cigarette at his Ogle, East Coast Demerara home.
Dead is Michael “Mikey” Figueira, 44, who suffered major burns about his body and died, around 10 pm, while receiving medical treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
According to a neighbour, who assisted in rescuing Figueira, smoke was seen emanating from his house sometime around 4pm and he and others immediately rushed over to ensure the man’s safety.
“When we reached his house there was thick smoke and he was on the mattress that was in flames but he was unable to move,” the neighbour told this newspaper.
The man stated that upon seeing Figueira’s helpless body, other neighbours began dousing the flaming mattress with water to save him. He added that after the flames were controlled, they immediately rushed the badly burnt man to GPH, where he was attended to immediately.
Stabroek News was told by several persons in the area that Figueira was an alcoholic and it was believed that he was drunk and was smoking at the time of the fire. They also said that he lived alone in his dilapidated house and he would normally do odd jobs to sustain himself.
A relative of the Figueira told this newspaper that she was informed of the incident sometime around 4:30 pm and she immediately rushed to the hospital. She confirmed that the man lived alone but stated that she knew nothing more of his personal life, since it has been over three years since she visited him at his Ogle home.
She said that the man has no children to take care of him and his other relatives are all based overseas but would usually support him.
