A 26-year-old mother of three, whose two-bedroom home located at Number 60 Village, Corentyne, Berbice was completely destroyed by fire on Tuesday afternoon, is seeking assistance from the public to help rebuild.
Hemwattie Brijbhukan and her three children ages 10, 7, and 4 are now homeless after she fell asleep and forgot to check the pot that was cooking on the gas stove.
Brijbhukan who was the only one at home at the time of the incident as her three children were at school, told Stabroek News that on Tuesday morning around 4:30 she awoke up and wasn’t feeling well, so she took some medication and returned to bed. At around 1 pm she got up and put on a pot of rice to boil. While the rice was cooking, she went back to bed because she was still feeling sleepy. She noted that the children had had their lunch at her mother’s and returned to school.
As a result of the stove being left unattended, the woman related that it overheated and caught fire. Later, her mother filled her in on what had happened. Her two cousins saw the flames from the fire, climbed through her room window and rescued her from the flames by tossing her out of the window while two other neighbours standing below, caught her. She recounted that she had passed out due to the thick smoke.
Her sister and a neighbour called the fire service which responded promptly, but were too late to save the house.
Among her losses were three mattresses, a wardrobe, bed, two small tables, gas stove, washing machine, jewellery, clothing and other items.
Brijbhukan who has been living in the village for a little over seven years, is seeking help from the public to rebuild the house for her and her children.
“If I get anybody to help me to get back a home or something for the kids, whatsoever, I will appreciate that and will be thankful with whatever people help me with.”
Interested persons can contact her on 615-0347.
