Pensioner dies after being trapped in burning ECD home

…after unattended kero stove starts blaze

Seventy-six-year-old Charles Brown of Lot 292 Bachelor’s Adventure, ECD died on Thursday when a fire destroyed his home.
Preliminary reports suggest that the fire might have been started by a kerosene stove that was left unattended.

Based on what has been reported, the Fire Service received a report of a building being on fire at about 8:00h, and firefighters from the Melanie and Mahaica Fire Stations, along with an ambulance, were immediately dispatched to the location.
Upon arriving at the scene, the one-storey wooden-and-concrete building, owned by Onika Lawrence-Charles and occupied by 35-year-old Andrew Reid, 3-year-old Godfrey Reid, and the now dead Charles Brown, was already engulfed in flames.
The other occupants of the building managed to escape, but Brown was reportedly trapped in the inferno. His charred remains were later pulled from among the debris.
An investigation has been initiated to confirm the cause of the blaze.
This tragedy comes one day after four young children and their elderly grandfather were rescued by a neighbour who noticed that their Blairmont, Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) home was on fire.
The Guyana Fire Service continues to plead with citizens to take the necessary precautions to avoid fire emergencies, and to educate themselves regarding fire safety and fire prevention. Citizens are advised to not leave cooking unattended, and to ensure stoves are properly turned off when not in use.
In addition, the GFS has recommended that children be kept away from the cooking area, and that adults ensure that matches and lighters are out of the reach of children.