A two-year boy died in an early morning fire today in the Vryheid’s Lust Squatting Area, East Coast Demerara.
Dead is Nicholas Maraj whose burnt body was discovered in the front bedroom of the two-bedroom house he shared with his grandmother, great grandmother and two other children.
According to the child’s grandmother, Pulmat Singh, she left around 8 am to take his four-year-old sister to nursery school. Nicholas and his three-year-old cousin were left in the care of their great grandmother, Catoon Alli.
Alli told Stabroek News that she was in the yard washing some clothing when she saw smoke, but initially assumed it was her neighbour who was burning rubbish. The woman said she even peeped into the house but saw nothing strange. Shortly after though, she saw fire in one of the bedrooms. She screamed fire and neighbours came out and formed a bucket brigade but were unable to save the house. While the older child managed to escape the two-year-old perished.
Both women said that they are at a loss as to what caused the fire since they had no electricity problems and the children were not known to play with matches; even so they said the box of matches is usually on top of the fridge out of the children’s reach.
Police this afternoon said that investigations revealed that Pulmattie Singh had earlier left home to take her granddaughter to school leaving Nicholas and Anthony at home.
“Neighbouring residents later saw the wooden building on fire and raised an alarm. Anthony Singh managed to exit the building, but the charred remains of Nicholas Maraj were found among the debris after the fire was extinguished by personnel from the Guyana Fire Service”, the police said.
