A US-BASED Guyanese perished in a fire in Maryland, USA while one of his cousins jumped to safety.Dead is Neville Gilgeous, 61.

According to a report carried by ABC7, fire broke out some time before 04:30h on Sunday at a home at Lot 1505, Ballinger Avenue, Landover, Maryland. Gilgeous’ lifeless body was found inside the house while two other persons were taken to a hospital for undisclosed injuries.

Upon learning of Gilgeous’ death, his friends and family wept bitterly. His wife, Cloreen Craig-Gilgeous, who resides here in Guyana, could not hold back the tears. After more than 36 years of knowing each other, the two had finally tied the knot on December 26, 2015.

Speaking to Guyana Chronicle from her home in Linden, Mrs Gilgeous said her husband, who was residing in New York, had travelled to Maryland along with a cousin. There they met his brother who had arranged for them to repair a “boiler”. Gilgeous was a contractor who focused mainly on construction.

Based on information received, Mrs Gilgeous said after a hard day’s work, he fell asleep in a chair in his brother’s Lot 1505, Ballinger Avenue home.

“His older brother was telling me, that Neville was sleeping in a chair downstairs, and he wake him and took him upstairs because he had a new bed and said he couldn’t allow his brother to sleep in the chair,” she said.

The two brothers along with their cousin began to converse but they soon fell asleep.

It is alleged that the cousin, who smokes, fell asleep with a cigarette in his hands on the same bed with Mr Gilgeous.
“Like he (the cousin) feel the fire and wake up. He said he wake up Neville and thought that Neville was behind him when he jumped through the window, but Neville was still sleeping,” the grieving wife said.

Mr Gilgeous’ older brother who was in another room was alerted and immediately ran to the bedroom in the upper flat of the house to find his brother engulfed in flames.

“He tried saving Neville but was too late,” she cried. Guyana Chronicle understands that the survivors suffered burns to their bodies.

Mrs Gilgeous had last spoken to her husband the Saturday before the fire, while he was heading to Maryland.

“When we were talking a sad feeling came over me,” she recalled.

After work that day, he had called for his wife, but the calls went unanswered. “He called me at 11:21pm. I tried getting him back but my phone had acting up. I was getting this bad feeling inside,” she posited.

Mr Gilgeous leaves to mourn his wife, and nine children. According to his wife, he was a fun-loving individual who was always willing to extend a helping hand. “He was a very nice person, hard working. You could have never find him vex. He was more than a husband, somebody who was always trying to help people and give a good encouragement,” she said while reflecting on the life of her husband.

They had last seen each other in May 2016 while on vacation in Barbados.