3rd fire in Berbice in 2 days
A former sugar estate worker, who lost his job when the Skeldon Estate closed, has now lost his home. The Sunday afternoon blaze completely destroyed the Lot 9 Number 75 Village, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) home leaving Rajendra Ramnauth and his family homeless.
The 39-year-old security guard told Inews that he was at a nearby supermarket with his wife and daughter.
He said while shopping, they received a message stating that their house was on fire. According to the father of one, when he arrived on the scene, he saw flames engulfing his entire house.
“When you are poor and you have to start from scratch it will be hard. It is everything we had…” the former sugar worker explained.
A unit from the Corriverton Fire Service responded in a timely manner and was able to prevent a second building from total destruction. The exterior of that building received extensive damage.
Meanwhile, Ramnauth’s wife, Normattie Chinoppah, a domestic worker, said that all appliances in the home were off when they left for the supermarket.
“We will be glad if people can help us because we are very poor,” she pleaded.
Persons wishing to make contact with Ramnauth or his wife can do so on telephone number (592) 335-4210.
Sunday’s fire was the third to be recorded in Berbice in two days.
On Sunday morning, a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed a flat building at D’Edward, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), leaving two homeless.
Fifty-eight-year-old Alvin Spencer, who occupied the house with his 16-year-old son was asleep when the fire started. It was his son, Osborne, who woke him up.
The teenager lost everything including his School Based Assessments (SBA), he was working on for CSEC next year.
Textbooks, notebooks and a laptop are just a part of the list of school items destroyed.
The flat building was burnt to ashes. The family is pleading for assistance and can be contacted on telephone number (592) 671-5476.
Meanwhile, on Saturday a fire believed to be an act of arson destroyed a two-story building at Number 29 Village, West Coast Berbice, also in Region Five.
The building was owned by retired teacher and community worker Marsha Gouveia.
The 56-year-old former teacher, in relating the incident, said she was not at home when the incident occurred.
According to her, her husband, James Adams, threatened to kill her and she grabbed her great-nephew and ran out of the house.
Adams, she said, came to her friend’s house where she was and demanded that she give him back $15,000, which he had given to her.
She promised that he would get it the following day. However, he was not satisfied with the offer and promised to burn the house.
Minutes later, flames were seen coming from the building and Adams was seen running away.
