A THREE-BEDROOM West Coast Berbice house has been completely destroyed by fire due to an alleged act of arson.

Cyril Potter College of Education Lecturer, attached to the Berbice Campus, Mersha Gouveia, lost her No. 29 Village home, and police are looking for her husband, who has not been seen since the blaze began around 21:00hrs on Saturday.

Gouveia, a retired teacher, and two other occupants of the house are now homeless.
In tears, Gouveia told the Guyana Chronicle that less than 20 minutes before the fire, she and her husband had an altercation over money he had given her. It is alleged that he wanted the money back, and had threatened Gouveia that failure to repay him would result in her death.

Scared for her life, the lecturer grabbed a great-nephew who lives with her and ran out of the house. They sought refuge at the home of a friend. Approximately 10 minutes later, Gouveia got word that her house was on fire.

Passersby reported hearing an explosion seconds before the fire broke out.
The two-storey wooden building, which is situated close to the coastline, was gutted in minutes. The blaze left the retired teacher traumatised.

“I worked hard to build my home. All my possessions even my cell phone have gone up in flames,” she told this newspaper. According to her, she has lost millions of dollars in valuables. Gouveia said that her husband usually works on sea on a fishing trawler.
The police are investigating the incident as the prime suspect has allegedly gone into hiding.