A construction worker yesterday morning perished in a fire of unknown origin at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara which destroyed the home he and his brother shared.
The deceased, Suresh Goolchand known as ‘Sauce’, 54, of Lot 156 Market Street, Enterprise was unable to escape from the house that was secured by grillwork. As he cried out for help, the raging fire that quickly spread and consumed the building, prevented public-spirited neighbours who first responded to the scene, from offering any assistance. His brother, Shwavash Goolchand was able to escape.
Neighbours pointed out that while the entire property was secured by grillwork, the section in which Suresh resided had additional grill.
The Guyana Fire Service in a statement yesterday said it was investigating the cause of the fire. It further stated that they were made aware of the fire at 3:40 am and Water Tender 103 from the Melanie Fire Station was immediately dispatched.
An ambulance and crew as well as members of the Guyana Police Force also responded to the scene. Due to radiated heat, two vehicles located on the western side of the building were severely damaged and all the contents of the one-flat wooden building were also destroyed.
When this newspaper visited the scene yesterday much of the debris was still smoking and small pockets of fire could be seen.
The brothers lived alone in separate sections of the home, neighbours reported, as they expressed shock and disbelief over what they had witnessed earlier in the day.
The neighbour, who sounded the alarm, Sarita, yesterday told Stabroek News that she was awakened by an unusual noise. The woman explained that between 3 and 4 am she heard noises which sounded like wood being broken and she thought it was thieves. This, she said, led her to investigate.
“I get up and look around but I didn’t see anything in our yard. So I decided to look through window and I see smoke coming from that part of the house [eastern side] and I said ‘like `Sauce’ house on fire,’” the woman related.
She added that on checking further, she saw the entire house in flames and called out to `Sauce’ who answered her.
She and the rest of her family rushed downstairs to help but as they got to their gate, they realised they could not offer any assistance as the fire was already out of control.
“When we come down and stand by the gate here we saw him with his two hands on the grill holding on, shaking it, to get it open. I start to holler for help and the neighbours come out… when we come out we try to rush to he but the fire already hold on he,” the woman related.
She said that they were a few steps away from him when they heard his final cries for help.
“We rush out to he, but by time we could have reach in front the yard we hear he holler ‘Ah! Ah! Ah!’ and that was when the fire tek he over. All I could have done is scream and holler for neighbours [saying] ‘look `Sauce’ burning in the house!’” she recalled.
Sarita noted that when the neighbours came out, they observed the brother attempting to remove the cars from the yard but the heat prevented him from doing so.
“I really sorry for him because as much as we wanted to help we just could not help him. It is shocking because is first time I see something like that, somebody burning alive and you can’t help or save them. I read it on the news and I see fires on Facebook but never something like this,” she lamented.
It is unclear in what section of the house the fire started but neighbours said that even if they had formed a bucket brigade, their efforts would have been in vain due to the ferocity of the flames.
Another neighbour told this newspaper that they, too, heard the deceased man’s cries for help but when they got to the scene the entire house was already consumed by fire.
According to witnesses, the fire service arrived when the building was completely consumed by the flames.
Sarita said by time the fire service sprang into action and sourced water from the canal a short distance away, their only task was to put out the blaze.
