A THIRTY-seven-year-old woman perished Monday afternoon after setting her house on fire and finding herself trapped with no means of escape.
Dead is Sabita Sukhnanand, called ‘Tina’, a mother of two of Number 64 Village, who was seen earlier in the day consuming alcohol.

Her distraught husband, Jairam Sukhnanand, a carpenter, told the Guyana Chronicle he was at work when his 11-year-old daughter came running breathlessly to tell him that her mother had set the house on fire and was trapped on the verandah. The fire reportedly started at around 16:45hrs.

Sukhnanand said that by the time he got to the house, the entranceway to the one-storied wooden building was already engulfed in flames, as was the entrance to the verandah, since that’s where the fire started. He said that neighbours had already formed a bucket brigade and were trying desperately to put out the fire, but the flames had gotten so uncontrollable, they had already engulfed his wife.

The man said that as he stood there looking helplessly at his wife, she began screaming for help, her hands outstretched. And without thinking, he leapt into action, and began climbing onto the shed in an effort to rescue her, but she had already collapsed.
“I try to haul her out, but she fall down and the heat get worse, suh I jump off back,” Sukhnanand said. At the time fire started, the couple’s daughter was reportedly relaxing in a hammock in the ‘bottom-house’, and was only made aware after smelling the smoke and hearing the neighbours shouting.

She said that before running to get her father, she had the presence of mind to check to see how bad the fire was, but soon came to realise that it was almost out of control. “I would have tried to out it myself, but I know I couldn’t, so I just run to get help,” the child said.

According to reports, the woman had attempted to burn the house down twice before, the most recent being in 2016, but luckily, neighbours had managed to get it under control. Sukhnanand said the situation has left him so confused, he hardly knows what to do next. He said that given that his wife was a habitual drinker, he believes that because she was under the influence that she committed the act.
He said when he went home for lunch at around midday, his wife and daughter were both at home; and when he left, she was in good spirits.

“Meh lef’ she home good; meh know she does drink. Dat what she do today, but meh nah think dis bad it woulda been. Meh wish me coulda save she; meh jus’ watch she bu’n,” Sukhnanand said.

Meanwhile, by the time the fire tender arrived, the house was already gone, but there were still a few flames visible. A house next door was also scorched. Up to late Monday night, firemen could still be seen combing the rubble to find the body. An investigation has since been launched. A car that was parked under the house was the only valuable that the family was able to save.