–owner suspects arson

A WOMAN is now left with millions of dollars in losses after a fire destroyed her Lot 111-114 Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara house, completely gutting the top floor on Friday night.

Mala Narine suspects that the fire was set by her ex-boyfriend with whom she broke up about a year ago. During an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Narine noted that she and the man were involved in a common-law relationship for several years, and after things ended, he allegedly threatened several times to destroy her house.

Narine said she was not inside the house at the time of the fire, as she was spending time with her immediate family who live in close proximity to her house.

According to the distraught woman, she first got wind that all was not well at her house when a minibus driver called telling her that he saw fire coming from her living room as he was driving by.

Narine claims that the driver told her he’d seen a man “jumping out of the house” just moments before the fire broke out.

“The busman said a man jump out of the house, and right away I suspect that is the person I used to live with,” Narine said, adding:

“And this isn’t the first time he did something like this. Last year, on the 11th of November, he jump in the house and burn out my blinds; so I know it was him.”
Narine was unable to save any of the items in her home, which she said was fully furnished.

“I would say I lost millions in the fire, because every year I does put in things; up to last year Christmas I put in over a million dollars worth of furniture in the house,” she said, adding:
“Is everything in the house we lose; all my furniture and clothes, and everything that went in the wardrobe. Everything burn up; and we lose the house too.”

Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo told the Sunday Chronicle that based on their initial investigations, the Guyana Fire Service suspects that it was arson. He said that ranks are currently conducting further investigations to ascertain the origin and cause of the fire.