Residents of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara managed to save a house from destruction after a room was accidently set on fire by a child on Sunday afternoon.
Homeowner Ilene Boucher, who resides at the top flat of the Victoria Road house, said the fire was caused by her seven-year-old granddaughter, who was playing with matches and accidently lit a mattress.
The incident, which occurred around 5pm on Sunday, resulted in the scorching of Boucher’s bedroom.
Boucher was in the bottom flat of the two-storey building, which is occupied by her sister, who was sleeping at the time. Her granddaughter, meanwhile, was upstairs watching television. It was during this period that it is believed that the child started the fire and then left the room.
According to Boucher, she did not realise that her room was on fire until her neighbour shouted at her that the backroom was engulfed in flames. As a result, she then ran upstairs but was prevented from entering the building due to the smoke emanating from the room.
Not sure what to do, she screamed for help and neighbours responded promptly and managed to put out the blaze before the fire service arrived. A gas bottle that was also present in the room was also saved by neighbours.
Neither Boucher nor her granddaughter was injured. The walls of the bedroom were, however, scorched by the flames and the destruction of all of her clothing, a bed, a microwave, and a chest of drawers.
