The cause of the recent fire that claimed the life of toddler Mahin Rampersaud at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara is yet to be determined and is likely to remain unsolved, according to a source close to the investigation.
“…We are trying to fish from all angles, you know trying to find out if the property was under dispute, to find out if anybody had any issue with any family member, but information is not forthcoming at all,” the source told Stabroek News.
The source added that while there might be speculation, there is no evidence pointing to what exactly might have caused the fire. “We [the Guyana Fire Service] don’t want to speculate because we don’t have any evidence of what really transpired and because of the fact that the building was completely destroyed, there is no clue as to what might have happened,” the source noted while adding, “We can have our own suspicion but we can’t pronounce prematurely… unless we have evidence.”
The fire started around 2 pm on January 31st in a bedroom of the Rampersaud family’s Agriculture Road, Mon Repos home. At the time, Mahin, who was one-year and eight-months-old, was napping in the said room.
Apart from him, four other persons were present: his grandmother, Savita Rampersaud, and three other adults.
Savita had previously explained to this newspaper that while the adults were in the lower flat of the house, tending to the family’s small grocery shop, Mahin was sleeping in a room by himself on the upper flat.
She said she heard her grandson screaming and crying.
When she went to check on him, she opened the door to the room and was greeted by intense flames and thick smoke.
“…I see the whole room on fire and me run downstairs and start holler fuh help,” Rampersaud related.
After her alarm, neighbours and other nearby residents rushed to the family’s assistance and ensured that the other members were safely removed from the house.
However, they were unable to save Mahin.
Information reaching this newspaper had revealed that after placing Mahin in the bedroom, Savita allegedly tried to put on an electrical fan, which didn’t start. “What we know for sure is that the room had a fan but the grandma stated… the fan was off. She plugged it out,” the source related.
