Gertude Vieira, 70, is now counting millions of dollars in losses after a fire of unknown origin destroyed her home located at Lot 328 Sachibazaar and Rohinital Streets Prashad Nagar, Georgetown.
Vieira told this publication that she had left home at around 11:00hrs to head into the city, and it was on her return that she learnt of her home being destroyed.
“I knew for a fact that the fire could not have started from upstairs, it had to come from down stairs,” the woman said.
Vieira who lives with her son in the upperflat of the home, explained that at the time of the fire two children and an adult were at home. She said that the lower flat of the building is rented to several families.
According to the property owner, she did not just lose millions of dollars, but she lost cherished items she was saving of her parents.
“I had a lot of antique things from my parents that I cherished, I have things that were about 100 years old from my great, great grandparents, that my parents passed down to me, everything is now gone,” she lamented.
The woman revealed that she has being living on the property since she was girl, and it was passed down to her as a gift from her parents.
“My parents gave this home to me, and when they died, they left it for me. This don’t make sense, everything is now gone.”
The woman explained that the house was not insured.
Divisional Officer in charge of operations in Georgetown, Dwayne Scotland, was at the scene making an assessment of the remains when INews arrived.
He told this publication that three tenders showed up to combat the fire after calls were made to their hotline at about 14:26hrs.
“The fire looked as though it was accidental and it looks as though it started somewhere in the top floor, but that is not confirmed because we are still carrying out investigation,” he said.
An investigation is ongoing. (LaWanda McAllister)
