A one-storey wooden house at Water Street, Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, was completely destroyed by fire on Sunday, days before the family that lived there was due to move in.
The Guyana Fire Service said firefighters responded to a report of a house fire and found the occupied wooden building fully engulfed in flames on arrival. Despite efforts to contain and extinguish the blaze, the structure and its contents were destroyed.
Preliminary investigations indicate the fire may have started from rubbish being burned by the occupants, with flames spreading from a rubbish pile to the house, the Fire Service said.
Sharmila Bedessia, 26, who was preparing to move into the house with her husband, said the fire started shortly after she cleaned the property and attempted to burn garbage.
“Yesterday, when I cleaned up, I light the garbage that was downstairs there, I had a mattress there and as soon as me light it the fire escape and catch on the house. As soon as me back turn the fire escape, I leave to go to the shop to buy something to eat. And somebody call me, show me the fire already on the house, and nobody ain’t assist me to save the house,” she said.
Bedessia said several household items were destroyed in the blaze, including a television set, stove, cabinet, sink, cups and other wares, as well as a refrigerator. She had only recently begun cleaning the house in preparation to move in with her husband on Monday and was making arrangements for repairs.
“Me go there yesterday for cleanup, me and my husband have to go in there to live,” she said.
With the house destroyed, Bedessia said she has returned to stay with family members while she determines her next steps.
“Now that you don’t have a house, what’s going to be your move as of right now? Well, I’m by my family place until we get or can afford to make back the house because we cannot afford that right now, because we don’t have all the money to build back a house,” she said.
Bedessia operates a small chicken business and is hoping to secure employment through the Government’s part-time work programme as a 10-day worker to help her recover from the loss while she works towards rebuilding.
She said she felt overwhelmed after losing the home and was questioned by police officers who responded to the scene.
“I feel really stressed out. Yesterday when the fire on the house, I feel so stressed already there, I feel shaky… I tell officer I ain’t burn down the house. I didn’t deliberately set it. It happened by mistake, and I didn’t expect this fire will catch from the house,” she said.
Persons willing to assist Bedessia in rebuilding can contact her on 646-7605.
