-daughter saved from burning building
A fire believed to have been caused by a power surge yesterday gutted the Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara home of PNCR-1G Member of Parliament and Head of Woman’s Affairs Cheryl Sampson.
Sampson’s daughter, Lauren, 18, who was at the Lot 215 Uitvlugt property at the time of the fire, went into a state of panic and had to be rescued from the burning building. She sustained burns and later received medical treatment.
A still shaken Sampson told Stabroek News that when she left home around 8:20 am, her daughter was still asleep.
She said she was told that subsequently the teen got up and before going to the kitchen to make breakfast, she turned on a fan. The woman told this newspaper that there was apparently a power surge in the area shortly after and then the fan caught afire.
She said that items in the room including clothing helped fuel the blaze. She said that she was surprised that it was the fan that caught because ‘it’s a good fan.”
Sampson added that her daughter was so traumatised that she was unable to get out of the house and it was residents who had to break down the door and rescue her. Lauren, a University of Guyana law student, was resting at the home of a relative yesterday, after being given medication.
Residents, Sampson added, contacted the Leonora Fire Station and a fire tender responded. However, by the time the fire-fighters went to replenish their water supply from the nearby side line dam, the entire house was engulfed. She said a fire engine from the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate arrived subsequently.
Sampson, who was transacting business in the city when she received the news, recalled being shocked. She immediately took a speed boat to Vreed-en-Hoop and then a taxi to get home, which was completely destroyed.
Sampson had only renovated the house a couple of years ago. She estimated her losses in the millions. Asked about her next move, she said that all she can do is pick up the pieces and start over.
