A fire which was apparently started by a lighted kerosene stove resulted in the death of a pensioner at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Thursday morning and destroyed a wooden house.
The deceased has been identified as 76-year-old Charles Brown of Lot 292 Bachelor’s Adventure.
According to a Guyana Fire Service release, at 8:20 am the fire department was alerted to the fire which resulted in Water Tender #103 from the Melanie Fire Station, and Water Tender #94 from the Mahaica Fire Station, along with an ambulance and crew from the Melanie Fire Station being immediately dispatched to the location.
The structure was a timber and concrete cottage owned by Onika Lawrence-Charles and occupied by 35-year-old Andrew Reid, 30-year-old Godfrey Reid, and the now-deceased Brown.
The release stated that the likely cause of the fire was a lighted kerosene stove which was left unattended and subsequently flared up igniting nearby combustible materials. The fire destroyed the entire building and its contents.
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday, Brown’s cousin, Collicia Payne, told this newspaper that at the time of the fire she was at a nearby shop when she saw the black smoke in the sky. She immediately suspected that it was coming from the house where her cousin resided and began screaming for help because she knew that Brown was alone at home and he had limited mobility.
Payne also told Stabroek News that the fire quickly engulfed the house and public-spirited persons who had rushed to Brown’s assistance were unable to save him or any of the items in the house.
“Yesterday morning about 8:15 I went to the shop and all I see is the big smoke and I start scream for help and I see everybody rushing because I know my big cousin is in the house…between 10 to 15 minutes the whole house was on fire so by the time everybody reach nobody couldn’t do nothing.”
Reid was Brown’s caregiver but he was at work at the time of the incident. According to Payne, Reid would usually cook his uncle’s food and leave it for him and would always be certain to keep lighters and matches away from Brown.
Payne also stated that her cousin’s body was found in the kitchen leading her to suspect that he was going for his food which was already prepared.
“…How far they find his body was in the kitchen, like he was trying to get his food, my cousin who does look after he, he [Reid] don’t leave no match where he [Brown] does deh or nothing, everything he does make sure that he left he food and give he everything before he left,” explained Payne
“But the fire start from in the bedroom and the bedroom door was locked because nobody else was home, my sister first see the fire start from in the bedroom and the thing is we heard a big ‘boom’ sound but the house didn’t had no gas stove, no fridge, no gas bottle so we don’t know how that,” stated the woman.
A neighbour who preferred not to be named said that she also heard the explosive sound and the screams from Brown. The woman noted that when she looked out of her back door, she saw that the house was already on fire. She also saw the man’s nephew rushing through the yard trying to save his uncle but he was unable to do since the entire house was engulfed in flames.
“Before the blaze I just heard a loud noise like something explode and I heard somebody screaming in the house… something went off and by the time I look outside I saw a smoke and I saw persons running out and I saw the person, the boy that occupy the house he run away into another neighbour yard because he hadn’t any choice, the fire was already big in the house and he couldn’t go up to save his uncle… apparently like somebody call him and told him the house was on fire,” the neighbour recalled. (Aviso Paul)
