Fire of unknown origin destroyed a two-flat wooden and concrete house at King Street, East Canje around 11 am yesterday, leaving a family of six homeless.
News of the fire came as Doreen ‘Lynette’ Sutherland and her daughter, Notoya Barth who was celebrating her 18th birthday were in the midst of a prayer service at church at Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam.
By the time the three fire tenders from the NA Fire Station and one from the Rose Hall Estate arrived at the scene the building was already engulfed.
The fire-fighters managed to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to a house next door belonging to William Walters.
When Stabroek News arrived at the scene around midday they had already managed to extinguish the blaze.
Walters told this newspaper that he was leaving his home when he noticed smoke coming from the front part of the bottom flat.
He immediately went to investigate and realized that the back of the flat was also ablaze and raised an alarm.
Residents responded and formed a bucket brigade in a futile attempt to save the house. Walters, relieved that his house was saved, was mopping up the water from his house during this newspaper’s visit.
At church, Barth, who was with her siblings: Sheama, 16, Elroy, 14 and Shaiana 11, and other members, told this reporter that when they arrived at the scene they saw the ruins. She was unable to estimate their loss.
A teacher at the Berbice High School, Barth said nothing was saved except for a few pieces of clothing that were left on the line to dry.
“We lost everything,” she lamented. She was “grateful to God for life”
though.
Her mother was not around when this newspaper contacted her and her father, Evroy Barth had gone to visit relatives on the East Coast of Demerara.
