Two families have been left homeless after a fire suspected to be electrical in origin completely destroyed a two-flat, three-bedroom house at D’ Edward Village, West Coast Berbice yesterday morning.
Owner of the building, Vedomattie Sitaram, 68, told Stabroek News that they were unable to save anything and that the blaze lasted for about 15 minutes.
She occupied the top flat with her granddaughter, Simone Sahadeo, 27, and her grandson-in-law, Seeram ‘Ravi’ Singh.
A grandson, Tameshwar Sahadeo, 27, lived in the bottom flat with his wife, Reshma, 24, and his daughter, five-year-old Arianna, a student of Cotton Tree Nursery. An off-licence shop, operated by the couple was housed at the bottom flat.
Sitaram recalled that she and Simone were sitting on the front landing when she saw smoke coming from above the shed on the stairway.
She brought it to the attention of Simone and they at first thought it was a result of someone burning garbage. They decided to check the house and that was when they noticed the blaze coming from the main switch by the front bedroom.
It quickly started to spread to other parts of the house and they ran out screaming. The fire tender was summoned but by the time it got to the scene, the building had already been flattened.
The pensioner said too that residents tried to assist by forming a bucket brigade but their efforts could not match the blaze and proved futile.
Tameshwar, who is also a fisherman, left for sea yesterday morning and had not returned up to yesterday afternoon.
Simone said her husband, Singh who works as a truck driver with a bauxite company in Kwakwani was not at home at the home of the fire and became confused when he learnt about it.
She told this newspaper that he was “working hard to buy all household items to make us comfortable and now everything gone.”
According to her they suffered millions of dollars in losses, including household appliances and furnishings and a desktop computer she purchased two days ago.
Two months ago, she and her husband lost their four-year-old daughter who was battling with cancer.
Meanwhile, regional chairman Bindrabhan Bisnauth; regional vice-chairman, Rion Peters and Information Officer, Sandie Ross visited the family to offer support.
They also promised to provide Arianna with school supplies and to assist the families in whatever way they could.
