A 74-year-old widow at Bush Lot Village, West Coast Berbice, died in a fire which destroyed her home on Monday night last.The charred remains of Seeta Sookram, known to many as Padam, were discovered in the debris of her home at Wire Dam, Bush Lot, after the blaze which occurred round midnight.
Reports are that the woman, who had no relatives and was supported by neighbours and friends, lived alone in the small wooden building.
Neighbours said that they were aroused by a loud crackling sound close to midnight, and on investigating, saw the house well ablaze.
“The blaze was so intense that it was difficult to fight the fire by bucket brigade,” one neighbour said.
The fire service at nearby Onverwagt West Coast Berbice, a little over a mile away, was summoned, but by the time the fire tender arrived, the building had already been, almost, destroyed.
Commenting on the possible cause of the fatal blaze, neighbours said that the home had not been wired for electricity.
They said that the woman used a bottle lamp for lighting at night.
They surmised that the bottle lamp may have been knocked over by a pet cat which was her sole companion, thereby causing the fatal blaze.
Residents claimed too that the Fire Service had been largely ineffectual on arrival, because the firemen experienced mechanical problems in getting a water pump started.
The remains of the widow were taken to the mortuary at the Fort Wellington Hospital, pending a post mortem. The West Berbice Police are investigating.