The three-year-old toddler, severely burnt when a bedroom in his parents’ home at Blossom Scheme, Enmore, East Coast Demerara, was engulfed in flames on Tuesday, succumbed early yesterday morning at the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH). Little Tony Ramlagan, the second of two children for his parents, Rushell Jagmohan and Jaiprakash Ramlagan, died around 03:00hrs, before his mother arrived at the hospital for the 06:00hrs visit.

Shortly before she arrived there, hospital authorities had telephoned her home, requesting that someone come down to the facility as soon as possible.  But by that time she was already on her way. Her husband who remained at home with their four-year-old daughter, Tia, received the message.

Rushell had spent a restless and almost sleepless night, and was up very early, so as to ensure she would be able to spend as much time as possible with her baby.  She was nervous when she arrived at the ICU and knocked on the door. On entering, she was greeted by a nurse who enquired whether she was little Tony’s mother. She replied in the affirmative and was told that he had passed away. It was the most devastating news she had ever received in all her life, Rushell recalled.

She quickly called her husband and related the sad news to him. Both parents were in a state of deep grief when this newspaper visited their Enmore home yesterday, and were being consoled by other relatives and friends.  They recalled what a wonderful child Tony was, noting that he was cheerful, loving and chatty.
On Monday he was at one of his aunt’s workplace on the East Coast and had the staff lively. His aunt recalled that as he was leaving, he waved goodbye to her and her workmates and promised he would visit them another day.  But little did she know hat it was the last time she would be seeing him.

Fire of unknown origin broke out in his mother’s bedroom around 11:00hrs on Monday and he was said to be asleep in the same room at the time. His distraught mother Rushell recounted that she was in the kitchen cooking when she saw smoke coming from the bedroom.  Knowing that her baby was in there sleeping she screamed and called out to neighbours for help.  They ran over and helped her snatch the three-year-old from the burning room, and they put the fire out, using buckets of water.  Her husband, a taxi driver, was summoned and arrived home soon after.

The child was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital and was later admitted to the ICU.  Hospital authorities said about 70% of his body sustained burns, including his face, both hands and feet.

A post mortem is to be performed on his body tomorrow and he is to be buried on the same day.
Tony is survived by his parents, Jaiprakash and Rushell, sister Tia, and maternal grandparents Mabel and Esmond Allen.