Three homeless following fire at Akawini, Police suspect arson

A dredge owner, his wife and 12-year-old niece are now homeless after a fire on Monday morning destroyed their two-storey wooden and concrete house at Akawini, Lower Pomeroon River, Region Two.

Police are treating the fire as arson.

The News Room understands that 39-year-old Epston English was at an interior location working while his wife, 39-year-old Bevon Melville English, and her 12-year-old niece were at a farm located at about one mile from the house.

At about 09:30h, a 53-year-old farmer Julian Benjamin claimed that he was passing in the river with his boat when he saw the house on fire.

He raised an alarm and persons rushed to the location. They formed a bucket brigade to extinguish the blaze but was unable to save anything.

The wife arrived home and broke down in tears.

An investigation is ongoing.