The pensioner’s apartment that was destroyed by fire
The landlady of a 68-year-old man who perished in a fire at his Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown home on Monday afternoon recalled the horrible shock she suffered after realising that her house was on fire, and her tenant had been burned to death.
The 63-year-old woman, who requested not to be named, said the entire incident is overwhelming, and a lot to process at this time.
It was reported that the fire that claimed the life of Lyndon Kyte, a security officer, started around 04:20h at Lot 570 Tenth Field, Cummings Lodge, ECD, and his burnt remains were discovered in the kitchen area of the house.
Guyana Times understands that the man lived alone, and rented the apartment from the 63-year-old woman. When this publication visited the premises where the fire occurred, the landlord said she last spoke to the man on Monday afternoon sometime before the fire started.
“I checked on him in the morning and I called out to him… when I went at the back there, he was groaning in pain, I called out to him and I gave him some soup through his window because nobody couldn’t go in because he locked the door from inside. Nobody couldn’t go in because he didn’t want to go to the hospital.”
The woman said after talking to the man she left and went out, and upon her return in the afternoon, she went straight to the man’s apartment that is located at the back of her house, and called out for him again.
“I called for Lyonel and he said yes Carol, I asked him if he drink the soup and he said yes, I asked him if he wanted something to drink and he said no he drank the coconut water, so I left and I came in the house thinking that he is ok because he talked good,” she said.
She revealed that the man suffered from urinary retention commonly known as “stoppage of water”, and has been sick for the entire month of January. According to her, she and a friend had encouraged him to seek medical attention, but he refused and locked himself inside the house, and refused to come out or let anyone in.
“I was in the house and I hear this big “boom”. I don’t know if he fall down, I don’t know if he had some big kero bottle and it explode…. I really don’t know, but, from the time I hear this fall and I rush out, he could not have burn up so fast, so I don’t really understand,” she said.
Having made this observation, the woman raised an alarm after which neighbours formed a bucket brigade in an effort to extinguish the fire but their efforts were in vain.
Shortly after, a fire tender from the Campbellville Fire Station arrived on the scene and went into action extinguishing the fire.
Afterwards, the pensioner’s burnt body was discovered among the rubble.
The landlady said she is still baffled as to what really occurred, since she did not hear the man scream or call for help, which is unlike him.
“He was like family and he was a very, very nice person, I am still in shock and I don’t know what happened. I don’t even know how to explain how I feel about the situation, I just thank God that other house didn’t catch…”, she explained.
Investigations are ongoing. (LaWanda McAllister)
