By Dianne Gonsalves
An elderly Victoria resident yesterday escaped with minor burns to her arms after she had to be coaxed to leave her burning home by her nephew, a former fireman.
It took 15 minutes to persuade Elizabeth McRae, 70, of 71 Public Road, Victoria to leave her home, which was eventually completely gutted by a fire of unknown origin taking the lives of her two pet dogs.
The woman was removed from her second-story home with her pet cat minutes before the 75-year-old building was completely des-troyed.
The unoccupied concrete first floor, was saved by the efforts of firefighters.
A neighbour told Stabroek News that around 11:30 hrs, she was alerted by passers-by, that smoke was coming from McRae’s house. She said that on investigation, she saw flames licking at the walls of the house. The neighbour said she immediately telephoned the Guyana Fire Service in Georgetown, but a tender did not arrive until about an hour after her call.
She said it took only a few minutes for the house to become engulfed in flames because its state and contents were fuel for the fire. The neighbour said residents in the area kept calling out to McRae to “come out” but all they got was a wave of the elderly woman’s hand through a window.
Meanwhile, McRae’s nephew, Neil Fowler, who resided in an apartment adjoining the empty bottom flat and was asleep at the time, told Stabroek News that he was awakened by the shouts of the residents. He said the upstairs was in flames and he was told that his aunt was still inside.
Fowler, who is a former fire-fighter, soaked himself and went to her rescue. However, he told this newspaper, when he tried to get his aunt to safety, she refused to leave the building.
He said it took him about 15 minutes to persuade her to leave the house with her only surviving pet, a cat. The woman’s two pet dogs perished.
She was taken to the Enmore Polyclinic where she was treated for the burns and sent away.
Her sister, Doris McRae, told this newspaper that she was angry with her sister because of the things she kept in the house.
Doris said her sister cooked using the bottom of an old one-burner stove, which she fuelled with wood. The woman also said that her sister was in the habit of storing “old things” in her home.
An officer of the Guyana Fire Service who was on the scene told Stabroek News that the circumstances under which the fire started were unknown but investigations were being conducted.
