A fire of unknown origin destroyed the home of a Bent Street, Wortmanville family in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The Lot B2 Bent Street, Wortmanville two-storey house was the home of Marlon Martin and his mother Carol, along with his cousins, Amanda, Tiffany, Tameka, Lashavie and their father, Weldon Anthony.
The fire started just after 2 am.
Meanwhile, Martin told Sunday Stabroek that he was awakened by his mother, who told him the house was on fire. He said that he immediately fled the apartment because the bottom flat, where he resided with his mother, had wooden floors and he knew they would burn in no time. As a result, he was unable to save any of his belongings.
According to Martin, the fire started from the northern side of the building and moved to the south.
Tiffany Anthony, who also spoke with this newspaper, said her father was the only occupant in the upper flat of the home when the fire started.
Sunday Stabroek also spoke with some of the neighbors whose houses are in close proximity with the burnt building. Among them was Kadeem Collingsworth, who said he was awakened from his sleep when he heard his grandfather shouting and alerting the neighbours about the fire. “We come out to check and see. We saw the flames and he [his grandfather] started to scream, ‘Fire! Fire!’ My mother wake up and then I wake up and we started signaling everybody around the neighbourhood. We tried to contain the fire with water but it was too late,” the young man said.
He also said that the fire service responded around three in the morning. The Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle, confirmed this when he was contacted yesterday. He told Sunday Stabroek that the fire station responded to the call about the fire at 3.02 and is currently investigating its cause. Additionally, the Fire Chief said that there is some talk about a dispute between the occupants but that has not been confirmed.
When Sunday Stabroek Visited the scene, it discovered that most of the burnt remains of the house were already thrown in large garbage bins situated in front of the yard, while some burnt wood could be seen on the ground. A molten plastic water tank, which appeared to be the property of a neighbour, could also be observed.
Meanwhile, a former teacher of one of the occupants of the burnt house told this newspaper that persons are gathering essential items to help the family since their home is now gone. “Miss Allo” (only name given), said that she along with some of her old students of St. John’s College plan to be at the property this morning. She said others who might want to help can also go to the property.
