A 61-year-old woman and her family are now homeless after a fire from a garbage dump got out of control and destroyed her Cummings Lodge Housing Scheme, Greater Georgetown house on Tuesday.
The fire started at around 19:00 hrs at Lot 734 Sixth Field; the one-storey house was owned by Haimwantie Singh who lived with her daughter, Andika Persaud, her husband Leon Singh and their three-month-old baby.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS), in a press release, said three water tenders were dispatched to the location and upon their arrival, the building was already engulfed in flames. They managed to put out the fire but nothing was saved from the house.
Due to the radiated heat, three black tanks and the PVC gutter of a neighbouring building were destroyed.
According to the Fire Service, the fire was caused by Singh burning garbage, which was left unattended and subsequently spread to the house.
However, in an interview with the News Room on Thursday, Singh admitted that she usually burns the garbage in her yard but noted that she hasn’t done so in months.
“I use to light garbage yes but I don’t know if it undermine. I can’t seh if it undermine from months, cause fah months me ain’t light back thing (garbage) so we just assume it undermine or something cause this,” Singh said.
Singh explained that at the time of the fire, she was at her sister’s house which is close by.
“When I come out, I seh Cindy (Singh’s sister) watch. She was going fah she daughter in town at lessons and she turn back…And everyone seh call the Fire Service,” Singh told the News Room.
According to Singh, the house had no access to electricity.
“Everything destroyed. Nothing ain’t save. Clothes, everything destroy. Bed, stove, everything destroy that I had in there,” Singh cried.
The woman indicated that she had plans to renovate her house and had already bought zinc, panel doors and cement, all of which were destroyed in the fire.
“The house, we did want do it over a little bit better because the zinc them did rotten and suh,” she said.
Singh and her family are staying with her sister and she is yet to come up with a plan on the way forward.
She said she cannot afford to rebuild on her own and is welcoming any assistance from the public.
Persons desirous of offering any form of assistance can contact her on telephone numbers 622-3714 or 626-6625.
My deepest sympathy goes out to the Singh family at this time for they no longer have a roof over their heads. There is nothing better than having one’s own home. He or she could do as he or she pleases then.. Added to that, they have also lost all of their possessions. It is indeed a difficult period in their lives and I do hope they receive maximum assistance.