“I have nothing left” – elderly woman as fire destroys family home

A fire on Tuesday afternoon destroyed a two-storey house and a contractor’s workshop at Smithfield, New Amsterdam, leaving three persons homeless and wiping out important personal documents, including an elderly woman’s passport, pension records and land papers. Among those affected is Charlotte Embrack, who had lived at the property since 1966. The fire left her son Sean Embrack and his 13-year-old daughter without a home. While no injuries were reported, the blaze also destroyed personal belongings accumulated over decades and the tools used to support the family’s livelihood. Sean Embrack, a 52-year-old contractor, said he first became aware that something was wrong when he noticed smoke coming from the ceiling at the front of the building. “All I saw was smoke emanating out of the ceiling,” he recalled. According to Embrack, electricity had just been restored when he noticed the smoke, but added that he will not speculate on what may have caused the blaze. The fire quickly spread through the upper flat, destroying three bedrooms, a kitchen and virtually everything stored there. “We know upstairs is totally destroyed,” he said.

“All documents and everything. Car documents, passport, whatever. Nothing was safe upstairs.” The roof of the building was damaged, sections of the upper floor were gutted and household contents were reduced to ashes. The lower flat housed his workshop, where he stored equipment used in his contracting business was destroyed. Among the items damaged or destroyed were welding machines, generators, concrete cutters, jackhammers, gas tanks and other specialised tools. Yet even while surveying the destruction, Embrack remained focused on the future. “I’m going to start over. Basically, I’m going to try and see how best I can start over.” His mother was away from the property when the fire started and she said she had been looking after relatives when she received a call from another son, a prison officer stationed in Mazaruni, informing her of the fire. “He call me and ask where I am,” she recalled, saying, “He say fire at you.” At first she struggled to believe what she was hearing and immediately called her other son.
“I ask where everybody. He say safe.”
She immediately rushed back home and when she arrived, firefighters were already battling the blaze. “I feel very, very sad,” she said, adding, “I’ve got to rebuild. I’ve got to get somewhere to live because I can’t go begging.”
“I’m a homeless person right now.” As investigators work to determine the cause of the fire, the family is beginning the difficult task of rebuilding both a home and a livelihood from the ashes. Persons wishing to assist the family can contact Sean Embrack on telephone number (592) 692-7208.