The charred remains of a 37-year-old Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) man was pulled from his burnt home after it caught fire in the wee hours of Thursday and was almost completely destroyed.
Undertakers came and removed the body of Sean Prince who lost his life in the early-morning blaze.
Arson is suspected in the fire that reportedly started at around 01:30h at the two-storey concrete house, located at Golden Grove Sideline Dam.
According to reports, neighbours were alerted to the blaze by crashing sounds emanating from the now dead man’s home.
When checks were made, it was observed that the house was already engulfed in
What remains of the house where the dead man lived
flames.
As such, the fire-fighters were summoned, but by the time they arrived on the scene, nothing could have been done to save Prince’s life.
He lived alone in the upper flat of the building, while his cousin occupied the bottom flat.
Guyana Times spoke to Carol (only name given), a neighbour of the now deceased man who related what transpired.
She detailed that she was awakened by what sounded like a stone being hurled on her roof and as such, she woke her husband up to investigate.
The woman added that a loud crashing sound was subsequently heard coming from the dead man’s home and when she opened the window, she saw the house engulfed in flames.
“I hear a sound like if a brick pelt on me window and I get up and same time I hear a next sound like that again and the third time what I heard was a big explosive and that was when I go and peep at my window and when I look over, I see this big fire and I start to yell for “help! help!”…and that is when people start to run out and come and so on,” Carol recounted.
She said when other neighbours became alerted, they started to make enquiries of the whereabouts of the now dead man.
She explained: “People coming and ask where is the man upstairs, wam to Sean but nobody ain’t see he. But some people saw his bicycle in the yard and they say he got to be in the house.”
Prince’s body was found some 20 feet away from the door of his home where he was trapped.
This publication has learnt that Devon Prince, the cousin of the dead man who occupied the bottom flat of the house, is currently in Police custody assisting with investigations.
A neighbour has also been taken into custody.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but investigators are strongly considering arson as a factor.
Prince, who had been occupying the house owned by his overseas-based father for some four years, was described as a very friendly and easy-going person.
The investigation into the fire is continuing. (Kizzy Coleman)
