For more than two decades, Leon Fraser operated a small cycle repair shop at Lot 13 Plantation Ross, West Coast Berbice. Over the weekend, tragedy struck when a fire consumed not only his home but also the very tools and machines that sustained his livelihood.
Fraser recounted the harrowing moments when the blaze began.
“I was in the yard working on one of the bikes in front when my neighbour told me something was burning upstairs. When I went up, one of the mattresses was smoking. I tried to pull it out, but it got stuck—and by the time I came back down and went again, there were too many flames,” he recalled.
The fire destroyed eight motorcycles, one e-bike, and nearly half a million dollars’ worth of household items from the upper flat of his fully furnished home. Fraser, who lived alone, was left with nothing.
Fighting back tears, he shared what weighs on him most:
“Hopefully I can start over… but the most important part is to get the people their bikes back. I don’t have anything, bro. Everything is gone except the clothes I’m wearing and a 55-inch TV that’s now wet.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Anyone wishing to assist Leon Fraser as he rebuilds his life can call 615-5155.
