A FAMILY of 11 is now homeless after an early morning fire completely destroyed their three-bedroom home at Guyhoc Park, Georgetown.

The incident occurred at around 04:00hrs on Saturday. The fire reportedly started in one of the three bedrooms of the one-storey wooden building, located at Lot 85 Guyhoc Park. At the time, eight persons were at home including five school-aged children, and three other teenagers, the eldest being 19.

Their mother, father and two-year-old baby sister were not at home at the time of the fire.
When the Guyana Chronicle visited the scene, more than 90 per cent of the house was reduced to ashes. The eight children and teenagers, who had sought refuge at a relative’s home, had returned to the scene to assess the situation. Natasha Cadogan, their mother, broke down in tears as she came face-to-face with reality. The family lived in the house for the past 15 years.

Her 16-year-old daughter Edodia Cadogan told the Guyana Chronicle that she woke up to fire in her bedroom, which was located at the back of the house. “I wake and see the fire in my room and I start a screaming,” she recalled.

Edodia, who will soon turn 17, said her loud screams alerted the other occupants of the house, and even the neighbour, who wasted no time in calling the fire service.
Her eldest sister Ashel said upon realising that the house was ablaze, they quickly escaped the inferno, running unto the main public road. She said while the fire tenders took approximately 20 minutes to arrive at the scene, they did their best to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

“They come with nuff water but they tek long. They wuk reasonable but they tek long,” she posited.
Ashel, along with her parents and siblings will seek shelter at relative’s home. The fire left them with nothing. Their father, a miner, was in the interior at the time of the fire.

It is unclear at this stage what caused the fire. Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes, upon learning of the fire, visited the victims and offered words of encouragement. She also made a monetary donation to the family.