A FIRE, of unknown origin, gutted the two-bedroom home of retired fishmonger 60-year-old Bibi Zairoon, at Lot 4 Levi Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, Greater New Amsterdam, Berbice, shortly after 16:00hrs on Thursday.

The widow, who is suffering from pains about her limbs, having spent years mingling with ice in the Fish Section of New Amsterdam Market, told the Guyana Chronicle she had, earlier, cooked vegetables but went to  her daughter, a short distance away, for a handful of rice, when a granddaughter reported that her house was ablaze.
“I screamed while running towards the house. My neighbours told me I could not go in as the entire house was on fire. I don’t have anything, now. No comb, no toothbrush, no eyeglasses, everything gone. All I got is what I have on. I can’t work anymore, pains too much.
“I stopped working three years ago,” the woman  lamented.
Zairoon, popularly referred to as ‘Zai’, related that she bought the property ten months ago and was renovating it, a little piece at a time, with the hope of relaxing, as her five children are all grown and have their respective families.
“But now I only got what I have on. I need my medication. I am suffering from high blood pressure,” said the distraught woman, who is pleading for assistance.
She can be contacted on her daughter’s telephone number 601-1838.
Meanwhile, residents of the squatter community  expressed disappointment over the ill-preparedness of the ranks of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), who arrived on the scene with limited water.