A businessman and his family are thankful for their lives after a fire of unknown origin gutted their Good Hope East Coast Demerara home at the weekend; however, the businessman is counting his losses which, according to him, amount to millions.
Neighbours alerted the Jangbir family to the fire at their premises just in time for them to escape.
Mohan Jangbir,called Pradeep, was the owner of the house and Pradeep’s Furniture Store.
He told the News Room that the fire started about 04:00hrs while his wife Tulsiday Singh, two of their children and a grandchild were sleeping.
The family has been living in the community for about 13 years and never experienced anything so traumatic.
Pradeep said they awoke to smoke all around them and ran outside.
“So she [wife] get up and she say hear people [calling] for we; we hustle to open the door and when I open the door my neighbour said –look your place on fire and me hustle to go see if me can ‘out’ the fire.”
The family was unable to save anything from the burning building. The family’s birds, monkey and a cat also perished in the fire.
“What me average, we had over $20M in settee upstairs, left out downstairs. I cannot remember how much furniture – wardrobes, kitchen cupboards and cabinets and all them machine damage – everything damage,” Pradeep said.
Neighbours quickly called the Fire Service. However, when they arrived they had no water to put out the blaze.
“The fire service come fast…them ain’t had no water. They had to drive and go back, but the place did already burn.”
Pradeep’s Furniture Store employed about 20 persons. The Fire Service is currently investigating.
