A family of seven is now homeless after a fire destroyed their house at Mainstay, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
The house belonged to Shervin De Jonge; he lived there with his wife and five children.
See full police report on the incident:
A house at Lake Mainstay village, Essequibo Coast, was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin at around 09:50 hrs this morning (Wednesday), leaving a couple and their five children homeless.
The dwelling house was owned/occupied by Sherwin De Young and his wife, Anice De Young, and their five (5) children, ages ten, eight, five, three and one-year-old.
The house was a one-storey wooden building measuring twenty (20) feet in length and (15) feet in width.
At the time of the fire, Mr. De Young was at work, and two (2) of his children were at school.
According to Mrs De Young, a housewife, she was doing some work at the back of the yard while three (3) of her children were in the dining area when one of her daughters ran out and shouted: “Mom, smoke in the house”.
Upon checking, the woman said she noticed the fire had already caught on the house from the northern side. She immediately picked up her three (3) children and ran. An alarm was raised, and villagers ran to her rescue.
The Guyana Fire Service ( GFS) was summoned, but by the time the fire was extinguished, the building was completely destroyed, as were all household appliances and belongings.
Regional Commander Superintendent K. Shivbaran and other Police ranks visited the fire scene.
The building was built by ‘Food for the Poor’ approximately thirteen (13) years ago.
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