FIFTY-six-year-old Amilia Sookdeo, a mother of nine, died in a fire of unknown origin which completely destroyed her Enterprise, East Coast Demerara home on Sunday afternoon.
The woman’s eldest daughter, who asked to be unnamed, told the Guyana Chronicle that she was shocked after she heard about the passing of her mother.
She said that around 16:00hrs, she got a call from someone who said that her mom died in a fire.
“By time I reach there, de house done bun down and mommy de burn so bad that I couldn’t even recognise her,” said the distraught daughter.
The Guyana Chronicle understands that the woman lived with her reputed husband, Terrence Prescott, but at the time of the incident, he was not home.
Eyewitnesses told this publication that around 14:00 hrs, they saw the woman breaking the lock on the door to get into the house, and about an hour after they saw smoke emanating from the house.

Persons who live in the area said they called the Guyana Fire Service but by the time firefighters arrived, the house had already been completely destroyed.
Sookoo’s daughter said her mother was an alcoholic and had a number of medical complications, including diabetes and hypertension.
“She used to take on her sickness them and like she used to be lost at times,” said the woman’s daughter, who added that because of that reason, all of her siblings had to grow up in different homes.

According to information from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Prescott, who is in their custody, said his wife left the house, which was her usual habit, since July 23.
He told officers that he locked the door and left the house at about 13:30hrs to pick green mangoes in the backlands but later received a call saying that his house was on fire.
When he arrived, he discovered that the house, which had no electricity, was completely destroyed. The charred body suspected to be that of his wife was found among the rubble.
The body is at the Lyken’s Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.