Three Guyanese have been confirmed dead following a five-alarm fire in Queens, New York, according to the New York Post.
Husband and wife Nanda Balo Persaud, 59, and Bono Salima “Sally” Persaud were confirmed dead after the blaze at 104-19 125th Street in South Ozone Park on Friday, while the remains of their son, Devon Persaud, said to be 22, were found in the remnants of the destroyed home on Saturday.
Nanda Persaud had retired from a medical company that made pills, according to his sister, Mohani Persaud. His wife, family and neighbours said, worked at Kennedy Airport.
The couple also had another son, Boyo, who was at the fire scene on Saturday but he declined to comment.
“This family perished in the fire and did not deserve to die like this. They were always so welcoming, treated everyone like family, and always tried their best to put a smile on everyone’s faces,” Abid Ally, a cousin of Sally Persaud, wrote on a GoFundMe appeal she created to help fund funeral expenses.
According to the Post, she said the family didn’t have the resources to pay for the funerals and “family members abroad in Guyana do not have the finances to come and say their final goodbyes.”
The fire, which began about 2 p.m., ravaged the three-story house that neighbours said had four apartments, located in the attic, second floor, first floor and basement, where the Persaud family lived.
Two other houses were destroyed and five more were damaged by the inferno. High winds helped fuel the flames.
The cause is still under investigation, according to the FDNY.
