Fire of unknown origin destroyed a house at No.2 Settlement, Blairmont yesterday afternoon, leaving two people homeless.
The fire reportedly started around 1.30pm in the upper flat of the two-storey, three-bedroom house occupied by Abdool Hack Rahaman, 41. He told this newspaper that no one was upstairs when the fire started and that he was in a hammock downstairs. His sister, Hameda ‘Shireen’ Rahaman, 46, who occupied the bottom flat, said she and a sister-in-law, Nesha and another woman, Joanie Karim, were “picking rice” downstairs at the time. She said they were preparing to host a religious function on Sunday in honour of her mother who died a week ago. She had also purchased groceries for the function and said everything was destroyed.
When this newspaper arrived at the scene, fire tenders from the Blairmont Estate and the Onverwagt Fire Station had already doused the building. Huge bowls of rice were among the ruins. Items, including pots, plates and bowls that were borrowed from the Blairmont Mosque for the function, were also damaged. Rahaman kept crying as she lamented that her apartment was well-furnished.
Her son, Javed, who lives at Shieldstown, was assisting her in rummaging through the rubble to see what jewellery they could salvage. They managed to find a few pieces. Just after the fire started she was also able to grab some of her clothing.
Joanie told Stabroek News that they heard a loud crackling sound on the zinc shed but they ignored it, thinking it was probably birds making the sound.
She said she kept hearing the sound and decided to look up. It was then she realized the house was on fire and raised an alarm. Nesha, who felt it was a “small fire,” decided to go up to investigate. But when she looked into the house and saw the “big blaze” she ran back down. She also started screaming for her two children, ages 10 and five years. But they had already run out on to the street with Joanie, who kept yelling at Nesha not to go into the house. Persons immediately assisted in vain to form a bucket brigade.
Nesha said since the funeral, she and her husband, Jamaludeen Rahaman, 52 and children were staying at the house. She lost their personal belongings in the inferno.
Jamaludeen told this newspaper that he had gone to his house at Hope when he got the news about the fire. His brother, Razack, 44, who came in from Canada for the funeral, said he was staying at the home of another brother, Hackim, 49 at Cotton Tree, when they learnt about the fire.
When they got there the fire tenders were building.
Persons are baffled about how the fire was started because there was a blackout in the area at the time.
