By Subhana Shiwmangal
A fire of unknown origin yesterday claimed the life of Amanie Abrahams, a three-year-old boy from Lot 146 Cooper Street, Albouystown and left a mother along with two other children homeless.
The fire destroyed the dwelling of Tandica Bailey, a 28-year-old clothes vendor of the same address, at about 01:30 hrs yesterday.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in a statement said that investigations revealed that Bailey resided in a 15×10 wooden structure that rested on concrete blocks about three feet off of the ground facing east on Cooper Street with her three children, ages 11, 4 and 3. At about 07:00hrs on Sunday, Bailey left home for work on Regent Street, leaving her three children at home. About 01:36hrs yesterday, when Bailey was about to return home, she was informed that her house was on fire. She rushed home and saw the 11-year-old and 4-year-old children who told her that after the fire started, they ran out of the house and due to the heat, the three-year-old was left behind on a bed in the room.
The deceased’s uncle, Rondel (only name given), told Stabroek News that he couldn’t say exactly what time the fire started. When he opened the door and checked outside, he noticed his sister’s home, located at the back of the yard, up in flames. He and his brother, he says, broke a water tank and used a bucket to throw water on the house. Shortly after, he explained, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) arrived on the scene and put the fire out. The uncle said he can’t say what may have caused the fire but his sister went to the station to give a statement.
A neighbour, Stayce Joe of 145 James and Cooper streets, related to this newspaper that, “Sunday night, I was sitting on the verandah drinking and my big daughter went with me… she left and go inside ‘cause my husband came home. Me and him left outside on the verandah and them [children] lighting squib, it was going packs! packs! at the back. I turned to one of my children and say, ‘I hope them children don’t bun down the house.’ Shortly after, I stop hearing the, packs! packs. I say they [children] already gone in. I deh drinking by myself and thing and, my husband says, turn down the music and let us go inside. I said just now… one minute after, around 1pm I hear a lil child come hollering, help! help! help!.”
She added that she started shouting to other neighbours for help, and in the rush to run out of her home she forgot her own children. They eventually came out of the building unharmed. She explained that she ran back upstairs and picked up a bucket and ran back downstairs but water was barely coming through the pipe. She eventually passed out and could not say what happened next.
Joe noted that whoever called the firefighters, the firemen arrived promptly and did a great job in preventing the flames from severely damaging other buildings because the whole block would have been destroyed. Her home was not affected but she said that her neighbour’s home which is located at the back of the same lot she occupies was damaged. “The wall and some equipment were affected by the flames,” she added.
The EMT Unit was summoned to the scene after the fire was extinguished. The remains of Abrahams, the police say, were seen in the bedroom area. They were taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home. Investigations are ongoing.