Boy, 17, sets mattress on fire; 3 homeless

A Berbice family of three is now homeless after a 17-year-old male set a mattress on fire, which led to the destruction of their house.

The 17-year-old is presently in police custody assisting with investigations after he reportedly set the house he was living in with his mother and sister on fire at No. 65 Village, Upper Corentyne, Berbice.

The teenager’s mother, 56-year-old Kamlawattie Singh told the News Room that the fire started at approximately 12:45 hrs on Saturday.

According to the woman, she went downstairs to do some chores and left her son lying on the mattress in the hall upstairs. Within minutes, however, there was smoke emanating from the building.

The distraught woman said, “Meh son burn the sponge and the whole house burn down.”

According to the woman, her son has been behaving in a strange manner for the past week and has been creating “a lot of mischief.”

The mother said she planned to engage a psychiatrist to determine what happened to her son.

With their house destroyed, Singh said that she has nowhere to live and that everything was completely destroyed in the fire. She estimates some $1.5 million in losses and as such, the family is open to assistance to rebuild.

Persons desirous of assisting the family can make contact with her on 625-2402.