Diwali celebrations for a Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara family took a turn for the worse after their house was destroyed by a fire suspected to be electrical in origin.
The fire, which started at approximately 8pm at 28 School Street, Peter’s Hall, also severely damaged a neighbouring apartment building that housed several persons.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene last night, fire fighters were in the process of putting out the flames.
One of the occupants of the house where the fire started, Deocali Persaud, 60, told Stabroek News that the house is occupied by her, her 79-year-old mother Liloutie Persaud, her aunt Kalawati Boodram, 65, her sister Omadai Persaud, 62, and two nephews Ishwar and Djiewesh Persaud.
She explained that the building is owned by her mother and aunt and it is partitioned into apartments.
Deocali told reporters that she, along with her mother and Djiewesh, were returning home from Diwali celebrations when she heard her sister hollering, “Fire! Fire.” The woman said that Djiewesh ran into the house to assist. Deocali recalled that she placed her mother, a wheelchair user, in a corner and ran into the yard to see if she could have done anything.
Omadai, meantime, said that she was talking with her aunt and heard some strange noises.
“Me and she sit downstairs gaffing and I say ‘Polly, hear something going pax, pax’. When I go at the back and check, I see she house full with [sheer] smoke. But the fire start from the meter. The meter sparking. If I didn’t come out, I woulda get roast up in the house. I live at the back,” Omadai said.
The woman recounted that after she saw the fire, she ran to a barrel to get some water but her nephew quickly pulled her out of the yard due to the growing flames.
Djiewesh recalled that the fire started in the last apartment. “…I run in to grab the gas bottle to bring it out ‘cause I thinking it could save the house. So I bring out the gas bottle before it blow up but by time then, the whole house catch afire,” he said.
He added that there was nothing they could have done to save the house as the fire quickly consumed the building.
He said that public-spirited citizens sprang into action after learning of the fire and assisted in getting out Boodram, who celebrated her birthday, yesterday.
The family contended that the fire was electrical in origin and was not caused by diyas they had lit.
“Diyas went in the yard only, none went in the back. We only light 10 diyas…” Djiewesh said.
As the fire grew, it leaped on to the neighbouring building, which is rented by some students and a family. The house suffered fire and water damage. At the time, no one was home in the rented apartment building. The owner resides abroad. A resident of the apartment building told reporters that she was too distraught to speak at the time.
Commenting on the fire service response, Omadai said that they took a long time before responding. She said that three fire tenders arrived on the scene but they all had to source water before starting to fight the fire.
The Persaud family said that they would appreciate any form of assistance to rebuild their home since it was uninsured.
“We don’t have insurance on this house. This is an old house. It was here since before we born but it was renovated here and there. Now everything gone, all we documents, gold and money, everything gone,” Omadai lamented.
Person desirous of assisting the family can contact them on 610 2272.
The Guyana Fire Service is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire.