A FIRE of unknown origin completely destroyed two houses on the East Bank of Berbice on Monday evening, leaving a single mother and her extended family, along with another resident, seeking refuge by relatives.
Sharmilla Seetaram, a 39-year-old resident of Lot 28 Sister’s Village, East Bank Berbice, lived in a two-storey, two-bedroom house with her baby, niece, and cousin. Next door, Nazim Gani, 53, lived alone in a three-bedroom house.

Just around 18:00 hours, on Monday, Seetaram’s entire house suddenly became engulfed in flames, which eventually spread to Gani’s house, completely destroying both.

According to Seetaram, they were all sitting downstairs when they were informed by residents on the street that there was a fire in the upper flat of their house.
“My cousin was in the hammock and when them people on the culvert holler my nephew ran upstairs and everyone said to pull off the main switch.”

However, despite this, the fire quickly spread from the front room throughout the house, destroying everything in its path, resulting in the family having to exit to save themselves.
Seetaram said that she made efforts to rush back inside of the houses in hopes of possibly saving some of her belongings but was held back by residents as they warned her that the fire was too big and she could be harmed.

Residents relayed that Seetaram’s house was completely destroyed when the Fire Service arrived and they immediately started to work on Gani’s house but was unable to save anything.
A third house was also scorched and partially damaged on one side because of the fire as well.

But in the wave of devastation, Seetaram, and Gani’s families have turned to their aid, offering them shelter as they contemplate their next move.

She relayed that relatives have supported her since the fire, “the next step is to seek a place to stay and for now the family told us to stay and that we are welcome, including my mother.”

This, she said, she is extremely grateful for as she would not know how to deal with the situation at hand without her relatives by her side.

She can be reached at the telephone number 632-3383, whereas Gani can be reached at the telephone number 699-0973.