Albion estate worker loses home in fire

A devastating fire destroyed the cherished home of a resident of Albion, Corentyne, Berbice, in the early hours of Tuesday.

Faiam Ally, 43, of Lot 15 Sand Reef, Albion, was jolted awake around 04:00 hrs after smelling smoke. Despite his concern, he could not identify the source.

“When I come down, I checked — there was no fire. I don’t cook; me alone does stay here. I does buy food on the road. I don’t smoke cigarette, but it seem like the fire started outside, somewhere at the back,” he stated.

After returning to bed, Ally said he was awakened once more, this time to the alarming sight of flames engulfing the rear section of his house and the stairway. In a desperate bid for safety, he managed to leap through a front window.

His neighbours quickly noticed the fire and rushed to help control the flames until the Rose Hall Town Fire Station was contacted. Although there was a delay in the firefighters’ response, they ultimately prevented the fire from spreading to other homes.

Ally, who works as a welder at the Albion Sugar Estate, suffered the heart-wrenching loss of all his possessions, including crucial documents. The three-bedroom wooden house was not just a structure; it was filled with memories, having been inherited after the passing of his parents.

A father of three, Ally suspects the fire may have been intentionally set by an individual with whom he had a dispute last Father’s Day.

“He used to tell people, ‘he will know what to do to me’, so I believe is he,” Ally revealed.

He claimed the fire did not start inside his kitchen, which is located on the lower flat of the building. Instead, he said it started outside and spread to the stairway and other sections.

The Guyana Fire Service is currently probing the origin of the blaze.

With his home now reduced to ashes, Ally is contemplating his next steps and remains hopeful for support to help him rebuild.

“Any assistance I get from anybody I will accept,” he stated.