A CHILD allegedly playing with a box of matches has left six people homeless after he lit a mattress that set their entire house ablaze at Cotton Field on the Essequibo Coast.

The fire occurred Monday midday at Cotton Field High-Level Dam, displacing four adults, a five-year-old, and a one-month-old baby. The incident happened around 13:30 hours on Monday.

According to Tracy Devellier, she was with her neighbours at the time of the fire, and her daughter-in-law informed her that their house was on fire.

When she rushed over, she saw the entire house on fire. Devellier said that her daughter-in-law ran into the house to save the one-month-old baby after she saw it on fire.

Noting that her husband was not home at the time of the fire, she estimated that the family lost over $10M in valuables and is now clueless about what will happen next.

“We lost everything, our bed, clothes, pots, motorbike, generator, everything. This is really shocking to be honest. This is the second time my five-year-old is doing this” the mother related.

Devellier said that she is still shocked at what happened.

The firefighters from the Anna Regina fire station were called, but the entire house was engulfed by the time they arrived.

The family is hoping that they can rebuild their house and continue with their livelihood. Anyone willing to help the family can contact them at 693-6619.