THIRTY-SEVEN year old Susan Mclean of 73 Victoria Road Plaisance East Coast Demerara lost her life yesterday morning when her home went up in flames and she was trapped inside.

This newspaper was informed that the fire started just around 03:00 hrs yesterday morning and from all indications it started at the home of the woman who was killed in the fire.
Her home was completely destroyed.
Persons in the area said that they were at home watching television yesterday morning when they heard the sounds as if glass was being shattered and as they looked outside there saw a big ball of fire in the woman’s home which was causing the glass on the windows to burst.
According to the residents of the area they heard no strange sounds prior to the fire neither did they hear the woman shouting for any form of help nor was she screaming based on their recollection.
Meanwhile, Avery Adridge who lived at lot 72 Victoria Road, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara just next door to where the fire occurred also lost everything as a result of the blaze.
The woman said that she was at a wedding reception on Saturday night into yesterday morning when she received a call around 03:25 hrs informing her that her house was on fire. She said that at the time she got the news she was travelling back to the East Coast and arrived sometime after 04:00 hrs yesterday.
The visibly shaken woman related to the Chronicle that when she arrived she noticed the fire tenders and police on the scene trying to keep the blaze under control and take control of the scene.
Mrs. Adridge said that when she arrived at the location too, persons in the area were telling her that the fire started at her home but initial investigations by the Guyana Fire Service determined that the fire was started at the home which was burnt flat and claimed the life of a woman.
The woman said that her two sons were at home when the blaze started and had to exit the house and ran by a relative who lived in the area for shelter. The boys are said to be ages 9 and 13. They too were also questioned by members of the Guyana Fire Service.
Asked about the estimated damage as a result of the fire the one time shop keeper said her losses go way beyond $10 although her shop has been closed for the past eight months.
She explained that although her business was non-operational there were several things that were left in the lower flat where the shop used to be and those include freezers, fridge, and other very important and vital items including household appliances.
The woman also claimed her losses of very important documents including source ones. According to the woman she has worked all her life for the things she has acquired and losing everything is really a heart breaker for her.
Asked about losing a neighbour in such a tragic manner, the former shop keeper said that she and her neighbour never really shared a good relationship.
She said that there were times when she was forced to leave all the windows on one side of her house closed for want of peace. She added that whenever she opened her front door she had to put up a sheet or blind so that the woman does not see her.
The fire also caused several residents living close by to take precautionary measures by emptying their homes of valuables and household appliances.
Over at another home which was scorched from the fire at the lot 72 property, the occupants there removed beds, chair sets, electrical appliances and other things.
When this publication visited yesterday morning those persons were cleaning the household items to pack them back into the home even as the interior of the home was disarranged and had to be put into order.