A fire believed to be electrical in origin completely destroyed the upper flat of the two-storey house situated at Lot 133 Cumberland East Canje, Berbice on Sunday afternoon.
When the fire was first sighted — next to the front door, where the main switch and circuit breakers were located — Naeima Muhammad was alone in the upper flat of the heavily grilled building. She, however, managed to escape the inferno via the verandah, from where she reportedly jumped into the arms of her husband Zahir
The upper flat of the house that was destroyed by fire on Sunday
Khan, who was below.
Her husband and his mother were in the lower flat of the building when they heard screams emanating from the upper flat. Upon investigating, they saw the huge flames billowing in the home.
Neighbours rushed to the house and formed a bucket brigade to put out the blaze, while Muhammad was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital to seek medical attention. “We try with water, but the flames were took much,” one resident said. “When I reach out here, the whole one side was on fire; and about ten minutes after, the fire (truck) reach”, Asif Hussain stated.
He said the bucket brigade which was formed was of no help, since the fire spread
A section of the completely gutted interior of the house
rapidly. After some time, fire fighters from the New Amsterdam Fire Station arrived, and quickly got into operation, thus curtailing the blaze.
The firemen were praised for being able to contain the blaze to one location. The electrical system of the building was only recently upgraded. The fire officials have launched an investigation into the origin and cause of the fire.
One week prior to Sunday’s braze, house owner Nassir Khan, 51, was laid to rest.
