A month after losing everything in a fire which started in a neighbour’s house, Drupattie Maraj and her family are concerned about the dangers that the remains of the neighbouring building pose to their property.

On December 6, a fire broke out in the upper flat belonging to 57-year-old Samsundar Singh of 31 Second Street, Success, East Coast Demerara. Singh perished in the blaze which then spread and consumed Maraj’s house and scorched the building next to her.

The woman, her husband and their 13-year-old daughter were left homeless by the time the fire was put out and had to watch as their home for the last 39 years burned. The only things the family managed to save, with the help of neighbours, were their cows and a vehicle.

Now as Maraj begins to rebuild with the assistance of friends, relatives, the community and other donor agencies and a cheque from the Human Services Ministry, she worries that the remains of the structure may again be a danger to her family and the community this time.

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, the woman’s husband, Pandit Geewan, said that he fears the building will come crashing down if there is a hard breeze. “Since the fire, nobody come back to check on the building,” he said even though Singh’s relatives had promised to take the building down “but never return after the fire”.

Pandit Geewan said that he is more concerned with the “smell” since when it rains, the “place stink and it harbour flies”. Geewan believes that whatever food was in the house when the fire broke out was not removed and it is now rotting and emitting foul odours.

Also, Geewan worries that a “hard breeze” might send the building crumbling since blocks would usually fall when the wind blows. He also worries that the loose zinc sheets could be dangerous to the residents of the street.  Further, the family sought to clear the air since they said that relatives of the deceased Singh are saying that his family received some $2M as compensation from Singh’s wife when that was not so. “Everything that we gah now was donated to we,” Maraj explained.

The family now lives in a one room shack while they rebuild their house. But Geewan worries that they may not be able to finish it since they would still need a loan from the bank.  Meanwhile, some residents are also calling for the building to be torn down since it is scaring their children. Since knowing that Singh, called Moti by the residents, perished the children are afraid of the structure.

Adding to the children’s fears is a hanging piece of concrete on what is left of the veranda of the burnt building. According to one of the neighbours, Soma, the children do not want to go near the house or even in Maraj’s yard. More traumatised is Maraj’s daughter who does not like to be left alone since the fire.

Meanwhile as Maraj and her family continue to rear their cows and build back their home, she worries that the burnt remains of the building that once resulted in her losing everything may once again threaten her family.