A family of five, including three children, is now homeless following a fire yesterday afternoon which completely destroyed their house at 32 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara.
Home-owner, Onetta Bacchus, a student of Carnegie School of Home Economics, told the Guyana Chronicle that she returned home from work only to find her house up in flames.
The woman added that she lost everything and was unable to say how the fire started, since no one was at home.
Bacchus said that she had left her place of employment and when she arrived home, just after 13:30hrs, she saw thick smoke and a large crowd, then she saw her home, engulfed in flames.
She noted that she had turned off all her electrical, but only the refrigerator was left on.
Bacchus added that the neighbours told her that the fire started in the bedroom in the upper flat of the wooden house, and quickly spread, devouring the structure.
Neighbours said the Fire Service responded promptly on receiving the call.
The distraught woman was yesterday sitting on the steps of a nearby house as scores of villagers had gathered around her discussing the incident.
She could not say what her next move is, but will stay with relatives or neighbours until she could decide on what to do.
The three children are aged 18, 16 and 10.