A 54-year-old woman perished when her Freeman Street, Georgetown house went up in flames on Thursday afternoon.
Some neighbours believe that it was a stove that might have been left alight that started the fire, but some are also claiming that the incident was suspicious.
The fire, which reportedly started sometime around 15:00h, claimed the life of Arlene Moses, a businesswoman, who, according to neighbours, lived alone.
Guyana Times was made to understand that smoke was seen emanating from the one-storey wooden house, which was properly secured. The neighbours were unable to get into the burning house owing to the locks on the door. The doors were reportedly locked from inside.
One of the woman’s neighbours found that strange, since the doors to the house would normally be open.
According to the man, no one heard any screams or noise coming from the property which indicated to them that Moses was trapped inside. This publication
The remnants of the house after the blaze was extinguished
was also informed that the woman was having problems with relatives over the property.
Moses’s charred remains were found after the blaze was put out by members of the Guyana Fire Service. Her remains were removed from the back of the house and taken to the Lyken Funeral Home.
However, contrary to some neighbours’ accounts, it was reported that Moses lived with her nephew, Dillon Moore, who was reportedly at work at the time of the fire. He claimed that he became aware of the fire after a cousin informed him.
As such, he quickly rushed to the house and was met with the almost completely gutted house. The young man was at the time still not aware that his aunt was in the burning building, and it was only after the blaze was doused that the shocking news was relayed to him by fire-fighters.
It is still unclear what caused the fire.
Moses was a shopkeeper who sold groceries. An investigation has since been launched into the incident.
