Fire rips through Port Mourant house leaving single mother, 4 children homeless

A single mother and her four children are now homeless after an early morning fire on Tuesday ripped through their Free Yard, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) home. Stephanie Cecil recalled that she was awakened shortly after 5:30h on Tuesday by frantic screams alerting her that the two-bedroom house was on fire.

“I heard my cousin’s son calling my name… and when I came out, I saw my house on fire,” the visibly shaken woman recalled while standing in front of what is left of her home with three of her children. The blaze completely gutted the upper flat of the wooden-and-concrete structure, leaving only blackened beams, twisted zinc sheets, and debris scattered across the yard.

Cecil, who works with a private security service, said she had returned home around 11:30h on Monday after work and secured the house before leaving with her children to spend the night at her mother’s nearby home after allegedly receiving threatening messages from her former partner.

According to the woman, she had gone to the house to collect a few items because she feared for her safety. Cecil showed the Guyana Times WhatsApp messages allegedly sent by the man, including one that read, “I’m coming tonight for you” and another stating: “Look out for me.”

She also showed a photograph allegedly sent to her depicting the man holding what appeared to be a firearm. Cecil said she suspects her former partner may have been involved in the fire, pointing to the threatening messages allegedly sent to her hours before the blaze and information she said residents later shared with her about surveillance footage from the area.

She said residents later told her that surveillance footage from the area showed someone entering the yard shortly before the fire erupted. According to the security guard, the fire has left her and her children with nothing. “I don’t have a valuable thing. It’s just my clothes, my bed, my children’s papers, textbooks, and just a tablet and a phone that went in the house,” she said.

The mother of four explained that the house was not connected to electricity and relied only on solar power, leading her to suspect foul play. “I can’t tell who lit it because I don’t have any electricity here. I just use solar,” she stated. Police visited the scene and took statements as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

The fire has left the family displaced and uncertain about their next move. “I don’t know what to do,” the distraught mother said. Persons wishing to assist the family can contact Cecil at telephone number 634-3115. (Andrew Carmichael)