A fire of unknown origin has flattened a two-storey wooden and concrete house located at Fyrish Village, Corentyne, Berbice, leaving three persons homeless.
The incident occurred at around 01:20h on Wednesday.
The owner of the building, 37-year-old Jermaine Benjamin and his wife Veron DeMondonca 32, occupied the upper flat while a 45-year-old labourer occupied by the bottom flat.
Injured: Veron DeMondonca
Reports are that during the wee hours on Wednesday, the couple was awakened by the scent of smoke. They were forced to jump through the window to save their lives, as fire was seen in the building trapping them inside. Both were injured suffering severe burns.
According to DeMondonca, she was asleep and her husband is on medication enabling him to sleep well.
“If you don’t wake him up you would have to wait until the tablet work out,” DeMondonca said.
“In my sleep I hear ‘Fire, fire and when I opened my eyes the whole house was in fire and he make one run out straight into the fire because like he get confused,” she continued.
According to the woman, who is now hospitalised, she and her husband used the bedroom window to exit the building landing on a lower roof before making another leap to the ground.
The flattened house at Fyrish Village, Corentyne, Berbice
Both received burns and got assistance from a neighbour to get to the hospital.
Forensic fire investigators have since said that the fire started is in the vicinity of where a gas bottle was stored in the upper flat of the building.
DeMondonca said she was not cooking nor did she have the stove on.
The Guyana Fire Service is continuing the investigation. (G4)
