Fire destroys house in Pattensen-Turkeyen

Dec 21, 2010 News

With only four more days until Christmas, when many will be joyous and celebrating with a number of activities in and out of their homes, the Abel Family will not be included in this category.
Sixty-eight-year-old Alva Minerva Abel and her 48-year-old son, Andy Edward Abel, are now homeless after a fire engulfed their two-bedroom house last evening at lot 1133 Pattensen-Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.
Residents in the area were crowded in the streets to witness their neighbours’ house literally turn to ashes.

Alva surrounded by her son, Andy, her grand-daughter, and two great grandsons minutes after Alva’s house perished in flames.

Kaieteur News was told that an ambulance responded quickly at the site, however it took awhile for police and fire-fighters to arrive, by the time they did, the house was already burnt to the ground.
Alva told Kaieteur News that it was only a week ago that she had an eye surgery because she could not see properly and was in her home making routine preparations around 18:00 hrs when she lit a “big lamp” and put it on the table inside her living room.
She then lit a smaller lamp she was using in her bedroom, since her home did not have electricity, and was “setting out clothes” she planned to wear after she took her shower. She was awaiting the arrival of her son from work before she stepped into the shower.
The grief-stricken woman explained that she sat in her verandah patiently to “kill time” until Andy returned home when she “heard something go prick”.
She then ventured inside to check on the big lamp on her table and saw nothing amiss so she returned to her spot in the verandah.
It wasn’t until some minutes later that she heard someone in the street scream “fire!”
One neighbour said that she was in her home with her family when they all heard someone shout “fire!”
When she rushed out of her door to see where the fire was taking place, she saw two other neighbours run to Alva’s home and “take her down from the step and got her to safety”.
Alva told the Kaieteur News reporter that before she could do anything, she felt someone hold her arm and “pull her out” of the verandah.
By then the rest of the neighbourhood came dashing out and one individual was shouting “Granny house on fire!”
When Andy returned to his home upon hearing that it was afire, he could barely believe that his house once stood where ashes were. He told this publication that he is an employee of BANKS DIH and had received a telephone call that his house had caught afire.
He was not told any details but immediately rushed home. Andy stated that they (both him and his mother) were living in the one-storey, wooden cottage house since 1993.
Alva added that she does not know exactly what will happen now, but she has another son named Tony, and is hoping that he will facilitate them.
The inconsolable woman said, “Early today ah feel sad for no reason and ah start cry but ah didn’t know was a sign that this would’ve happen.”