“We couldn’t save nothing’ – Bloomfield woman loses home, livelihood in fire

A Government pathway worker and her family have been left homeless after a fire ravaged their residence at Bloomfield Village, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), on Wednesday afternoon.
The blaze has displaced Bhagwatie Ramcharan, her 58-year-old husband and their daughter, who has a physical disability, while leaving her facing the prospect of repaying a business loan without the merchandise she purchased to generate income. Ramcharan said the fire broke out shortly after 15:00h while she was at home with her daughter.
She said she was packing clothes when she noticed an unusual smell.
Believing something might be wrong in the kitchen, she went to investigate but found nothing. She subsequently went upstairs, where she discovered sparks coming from an electrical point in one of the rooms.
“When I go upstairs … the room was spark, spark plenty, so I get so frightened I run back the steps. I run to see my daughter and I bring her out and put her outside for a while. I start to holler for people on the road,” she recalled.
Ramcharan explained that no electrical appliance was connected to the outlet when she discovered the sparks. A fan had previously been plugged into the point but had been removed and taken to another section of the house.

She also reported experiencing fluctuations in the electricity supply before the fire.
The cause of the blaze has not been officially established by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS). Persons who responded subsequently contacted the Fire Service.
By then, the flames had spread through the upper section of the building, making it impossible for the family to retrieve their possessions.
“And the fire so plenty that we couldn’t save nothing,” she recalled.
Ramcharan explained that even after attempting to return to the building, the intensity of the flames prevented them from recovering anything. The upper floor contained two bedrooms, one of which was occupied while the other was used to store household possessions and merchandise.
The fire left much of the wooden upper structure charred, with sections of the roof and walls destroyed.
Ramcharan estimated her losses at about $2.5 million, including jewellery, money, household possessions and merchandise.
Apart from her employment as a Government pathway worker, she operated a small business selling clothing, cosmetics and other items, purchasing merchandise for resale whenever she could afford to replenish her stock.
Some of the goods were stored upstairs, while additional merchandise downstairs was damaged by burning materials falling from the upper floor.
“But downstairs, we get a lot of losses downstairs too. Because the fire … damage up all my selling stuff,” she related.
The woman disclosed that she had obtained a loan from the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) to finance her business, leaving her concerned about meeting her repayment obligations now that much of the stock has been lost.
Meanwhile, the family has been forced to seek temporary shelter.
Ramcharan said she and her husband are staying at another person’s residence, where they have been sleeping in a hammock because they have nowhere else to go.
She explained that they had been occupying the fire-damaged property without paying rent. However, following the blaze, the owner informed her that the family would have to leave to allow repairs to be carried out on the building.
The displacement has also affected her daughter, who has a physical disability.
According to Ramcharan, her daughter became distressed following the fire and was subsequently sent to stay with her brother.

With the family now separated and her business disrupted, Ramcharan said she would welcome any assistance to secure accommodation and rebuild her livelihood.
“Well, whatever little somebody will help me, me thankful. At least me can buy back my stuff and go back to my business,” she said.
Ramcharan also revealed that she had completed payments for a house lot but had not yet been shown its location.
She expressed hope that access to the land, together with assistance, would allow her to construct a modest dwelling where her family could eventually settle.
For now, her immediate priorities are finding suitable accommodation, replacing essential possessions and securing enough capital to resume trading.
Asked how she intends to repay the IPED loan after losing the merchandise purchased for her business, Ramcharan said she remained uncertain about her financial future.
Persons who may any to assist the family can contact them on telephone number (592) 697-4894.