Three children were rescued from a burning building on Monday morning by their neighbour after their mother allegedly locked them in the house and went to a nearby shop.
The couple’s three children that were rescued
The mid-morning fire at Lot 820 Block D Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, left 32-year-old Davanand Manroop and his 25-year-old wife, Bodhrani Manroop, called “Davie” along with their one, two and four-year-old children homeless.
According to Bodhrani Manroop, she was cooking and made a quick trip to a nearby shop to purchase chicken when the incident occurred.
She said her kerosene oil stove cooks slowly and as a result, she decided to put a pot on to cook rice and then go to a shop situated three lots away to make the purchase.
The shop, she said, was crowded and she spent more time there than anticipated. She related that as she was returning, she saw fire emanating from her home.
The mother of three said she dropped the chicken and ran to the back door which she had bolted from the outside, leaving the children locked inside.
Meanwhile, Ramdeo Rai, who lives on the other side of the street, told this publication that with the aid of his son, he was able to rescue the children from the burning building.
The aftermath of the fire
“I was sitting on the verandah and when I looked over, I saw fire coming from the one side of the building. So, I go inside and call my son and we go over and I put him on my shoulder to climb up and go into the verandah and he go in and bring two of the children out…”
He noted that in the process of doing so, “Davie” came running and opened the back door which was bolted from the outside and got the third child out of the burning building.
Davanand Manroop and wife Bodhrani Manroop
Manroop also told this publication that she would normally lock the door from the outside when she had to leave home since on one occasion one of her children ventured out of the yard and fell into a nearby drain.
Meanwhile, her husband, Davanand Manroop, who works as a labourer at the nearby lumberyard, is appealing to persons for assistance. He said that they lost everything. The building was owned by Nadia Rammanan. The woman told this publication that on numerous occasions she appealed to Manroop to take her children with her when she is going out. The woman said she was always fearful that the children left in the house unattended could be disastrous.
According to Rammanan, the building was covered with fire insurance.
Meanwhile, persons interested in assisting the family can make contact with them on telephone number (592) 669-2395.
