Some nine persons are now homeless after a mid-afternoon fire on Saturday destroyed their Lot 22 Weldaad Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) home.
The fire reportedly started about 16:00h. The two-storey building was owned and occupied by 64-year-old Marlyn Fraser, also known as “Baba”, along with her six children and two grandchildren.
Based on reports received, Fraser was in the lower flat of her home feeding her two grandchildren aged four and six when she started to smell something burning.
She immediately sent her granddaughter to enquire, and the child reported that smoke was seen emanating from her mother’s bedroom.
The aftermath of the fire
Fraser immediately rushed to the front yard and saw the building covered in flames. In an effort to put out the blaze, residents formed bucket brigades, but owing to the intensity of the heat, they retreated.
Firefighters from the Onverwagt Fire Service responded to the report, but unfortunately, the structure was already gutted by the time they got there.
An investigation was launched into the cause of the fire.
