Mother of 5 suffers burns as Kako home goes up in flames

A 39-year-old mother of five sustained burns after a fire destroyed her family’s home in Kako Village, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on Tuesday, compounding the hardships already faced by residents amid ongoing flooding in the community.
In the midst of ongoing flooding in Kako Village, things took a devastating turn on Tuesday when a fire destroyed the home of a family of seven, leaving them with virtually nothing. The household, made up of two adults and five minors, was headed by 39-year-old Delcina George and her 42-year-old husband, who works in the mining sector and was away at work when the fire occurred.
According to information gathered, the fire is believed to have started sometime between 06:30h and 07:30h while the woman was preparing meals.
It is believed that a flammable liquid may have been spilled, which ignited the blaze.

Toshao of the village, Romario Hastings, told Guyana Times that screams from the home alerted nearby residents, who rushed to assist.
However, ongoing flooding severely hampered rescue efforts, with some persons reportedly needing boats to access the area.
Despite attempts by residents to contain the flames, the entire wooden building was destroyed.
Hastings explained that the household was affected by floodwaters at the time and was living in difficult conditions.
Based on preliminary information, he said flammable liquid may have been spilled during cooking, which contributed to the fire. He added that attempts to extinguish the blaze with water may have worsened the situation.
Additionally, Hastings reported that efforts are currently underway to secure temporary accommodation for the family.
He explained that the matter has already been reported to the Human Services Ministry and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in an effort to assist the family in rebuilding and recovering from the tragedy.
He further revealed that the mother sustained burns during the incident while one of the younger children fainted.
“They couldn’t prevent it, as I was telling you. There were some folks who came to the rescue, but it wasn’t easily accessible. They had to go by boat because the area was flooded, so you couldn’t just easily access it. The mother sustained burns and one child fainted,” he said.
Both mother and child received attention.
Hastings said that while immediate relief efforts are being organised, the family will require significant support as they have lost most of their belongings in the fire.