Mabaruma family of 14 homeless after fire destroys home

– fire was allegedly set by 4-year-old playing with matches

A family of 14 was rendered homeless after a fire ripped through their Mabaruma, North West District (NWD) home on Sunday.
The fire which destroyed the family’s two-storey wooden home was allegedly set by a 4-year-old, who was playing with matches.
Flames and smoke began emanating from one of the bedrooms of the house at about 09:40h and the family was immediately alerted.
The Fire Service was called to the scene at about 10:16h but when they arrived, the home was engulfed by thick black smoke, with flames billowing from the windows.
A senior fire officer told Guyana Times that when they arrived, the firefighters quickly sprang into action. Despite their efforts to save the house, it was completely destroyed, leaving the 14 occupants, including several minors, homeless.
The family was also unable to save any of their belongings.
The child’s mother, Mariella Small, told officials of the Guyana Fire Service that no one was around at the time when her pre-schooler took matches and lit their mattress, which was in the lower flat of the house.
Upon seeing the flames, everyone from the home evacuated the building, and within a short time, the entire house went up in flames. No one was injured, officials said. An investigation in underway.